Delayed implementation of EU pesticide production ban

According to Agence France-Presse, the Agriculture and Food Act (Egalim) prohibits the manufacture of pesticides (pesticides) in France for sale to countries outside the European Union in 2022. The French National Assembly delayed the ban for three years in another relevant vote on March 15. Ms. Brune Poirson, State Secretary of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Development, expressed regret on March 18.

The Secretary of State said in the studio of Euro-1: "This vote has its reasons, but I regret this decision."

She said: "This annoys me because all opposition parties will use this standstill to convince the public that France is doing nothing on climate issues. The government is in a state of war on climate issues, while the opposition uses small things to fire smoke bombs.

Bowasson pointed out that during the second reading of the draft Act on Action Plans to Support Enterprise Growth and Enterprise Transition (PACTE), members of Parliament voted to adopt the provision postponing the ban.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Development Boisson considered that the members of the ruling party who voted in favour were "totally free from the manipulation of pressure groups", but out of the consideration of "employment"

The Agriculture and Food Act (Egalim) promulgated in November last year stipulated that the prevention and control of planting in France in 2022, which contains prohibited substances strictly prohibited by the European Union and uses countries other than the European Union as marketing markets, was prohibited. Pharmaceutical products of plant diseases and insect pests (pesticides, insecticides). The Senate, which has a majority of opposition parties on the right, simply lifted the ban during its first reading of the draft Act on Action Plans to Support Business Growth and Business Transition. Following intense debate, members of the National Assembly adopted a provision postponing the ban until 2025 by 27 votes in favour, 3 against and 7 abstentions, and allowed certain enterprises to exceptionally refrain from it. The French Federation of Plant Protection Industries (UIPP), representing the French manufacturers of plant diseases and pests control products, pointed out that France's ban on the manufacture of products such as Atrazine banned by the European Union in 2025 would "endanger" nearly 4,000 jobs and that the decision was "not conducive to the environment and health".

Federation pointed out that the "preliminary result" of this measure is that "the manufacturing sites of these plant protection products will be transferred to other countries. Countries that use these products continue to use them, and jobs in France will be threatened.