Latest news with #DuplombLaw
France 24
15 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
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LeMonde
18 hours ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
French left seeks to latch on to success of petition against pesticides
A grassroots petition calling for the repeal of legislation known as the Duplomb Law, which notably provides for the reauthorization of a banned pesticide from the neonicotinoid family, has continued to break records: By the end of the day on Monday, July 21, the petition on the Assemblée Nationale's website had surpassed 1.5 million signatories. As a result, political parties across the spectrum have been watching its progress with interest. The president of the Assemblée Nationale, Yaël Braun-Pivet, from President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Renaissance party, said she supported a parliamentary debate on the law, all while adding that it "cannot, under any circumstances, go back on the law adopted" on July 8. The far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party, a staunch defender of the law aiming to "lift constraints on exercising the profession of farmer," has also reacted to the petition. "Even though we regret the lies accompanying the ongoing petition, we fully support holding a parliamentary debate on the Duplomb Law," RN leader Marine Le Pen wrote on the social media platform X on Monday. That evening, Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard said the government was "fully receptive" to a parliamentary debate.
LeMonde
21 hours ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Anti-pesticide petition: An unprecedented grassroots movement
In just 10 days, a petition on the website of France's Assemblée Nationale, launched by a student who says she has no political affiliation, has garnered more than 1.5 million signatures. The record is striking: Never before had a grassroots initiative of this kind surpassed the 500,000-signature mark. The momentum behind it now appears to be so strong that no one can predict where it will stop. The petition calls for the "immediate repeal" of legislation known as the Duplomb Law, which was definitively adopted on July 8 and provides for rolling back a series of environmental measures. These include speeding up water storage projects, facilitating intensive livestock farming, and, above all, reintroducing certain pesticides, including acetamiprid, a neonicotinoid that has been banned in France since 2018, but still permitted in the European Union until 2033. After intense lobbying, beet and hazelnut producers convinced lawmakers to allow it to be reauthorized for use, arguing that it was their only way to not fall prey to competition from neighboring countries. The unprecedentedly large grassroots movement making itself heard on environmental issues through the now-famous petition has caught everyone off guard. It comes as a contrast to the 2024 European elections, in which, in France and many other European Union countries, environmentalist parties lost ground while the far-right surged in the polls. The petition reveals not only a genuine surge in environmental awareness but also a determination to have an impact when public health is at stake. Acetamiprid has been accused of harming pollinating insects, accumulating in soil and groundwater and posing risks to human health. The petition's many signatories easily identified with its wording, condemning what it described as a "scientific, ethical, environmental and public health aberration." The influence of the FNSEA farming union, which staunchly defends intensive agriculture practices, has undoubtedly also been targeted by the movement. Before becoming a senator (from the right-wing Les Républicains party, LR), Laurent Duplomb, the legislation's author, was the president of a farmers' representative body in central France. Democratically speaking, the grassroots movement's success is significant. Its first effect has been to highlight the French Parliament's recent shortcomings. By surpassing 500,000 signatures, the petitioners have secured the possibility that a public debate on the law could be held when Parliament reconvenes, after the Assemblée, far too divided, failed to hold such a debate when the bill was being examined in late May. A maneuver by the bill's rapporteur, Julien Dive (LR), to initially reject the bill as a way to circumvent obstruction tactics from the left, resulted in the debate being held behind closed doors, conducted in a joint committee composed of seven members of each chamber. While the process was legal, it has proven unsatisfactory. Given the stakes raised by the bill, it was imperative that both sides be able to openly express their positions on it. The petition's second effect has been to put the entire political class on edge. Riding this newfound surge of momentum, the left has vowed to scrap the Duplomb law. However, aside from waiting for the Constitutional Council to decide on the matter, it has fewer options at its disposal than the president, who can request that a new deliberation on the law be held or even hold back on promulgating it, if the public outcry grows further. The petitioners likely did not intend to bring Emmanuel Macron back into the center of the public debate, but the implacable logic of the Fifth Republic has led to just that.
LeMonde
a day ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Meet the face of France's anger against cancer and pesticides
Bareheaded, with bright lipstick and a piercing gaze, Fleur Breteau has become the new face of the fight against cancer and pesticides in France. The general public first discovered her on July 8. "You are cancer's allies and we will let everyone know!" she shouted from a balcony in the Assemblée Nationale, overlooking the right-wing and far-right groups. Despite unprecedented mobilization from the scientific community and environmental advocates, MPs had just voted in favor of the so-called Duplomb Law: a highly controversial piece of legislation that reauthorized acetamiprid, a bee-killing pesticide suspected of being toxic to brain development, banned in France since 2020. "With my cancer face, I was the only one who could speak up in the chamber," said Breteau. The Parisian founded the Cancer Colère group ("Cancer Anger") the day after the Duplomb Law was first passed by senators, on January 27. Her goal: "To politicize cancer by making it visible." She has succeeded. Her act contributed to the success of the citizens' petition calling for the law's repeal, which passed the million-signature mark shortly before 6 pm on Sunday, July 20. "This is what civil society is giving back to a contemptuous government and the 316 lawmakers who supported Duplomb over public health, science and the future of farmers," responded the newly minted activist. "They thought they could censor the democratic process. They wanted to destroy us, but they are bringing us together."
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
French government faces a buzzkill: One million petitioners say ‘no' to bee killer pesticide
PARIS, July 22 — More than a million people Sunday had signed a petition urging the French government to ditch a law allowing the reintroduction of a banned pesticide experts say is deadly to bees. The so-called 'Duplomb law' has stirred public anger for permitting a return of acetamiprid — a chemical known to be toxic to pollinators such as bees and to ecosystems. It was adopted on July 8 but has not yet come into effect. A 23-year-old master's student launched the petition against the law on July 10, with support quickly snowballing with the backing of many including actors and several left-wing lawmakers. More than 500,000 people signed it in 24 hours from Saturday and Sunday alone. The law's proponents however argue farmers face too much regulation in France as is, and allowing them to use acetamiprid again would help reduce the constraints they face. National Assembly Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet on Sunday ruled out abandoning the legislation, named after the conservative lawmaker who proposed it, as it would 'save a certain number of our farmers'. The petition's author, Eleonore Pattery, who describes herself as 'a future environmental health professional', called the new law a 'scientific, ethical, environmental and public health aberration'. 'It represents a frontal attack on public health, biodiversity, the coherence of climate policies, food security, and common sense,' she said. 'Bee killer' Acetamiprid has been banned in France since 2018, but remains legal within the European Union. The insecticide is particularly sought after by beet and hazelnut growers, who say they have no alternative against pests and face unfair competition. On the other hand, beekeepers have branded the chemical 'a bee killer'. French scientists who have studied its disorientating effects on bees confirm it is toxic to them. Its effects on humans are also a source of concern but, in the absence of large-scale studies, its risks remain unclear. The petition calls for the 'immediate repeal' of the law and a 'citizen-led consultation involving health, agricultural, environmental and legal stakeholders'. Launched on July 10, two days after the Senate adopted the text, it had already passed 500,000 signatures on Saturday. Appeal to Macron Petitions do not in themselves trigger a review or repeal of the legislation but unprecedented public support may prompt renewed parliamentary discussion on the matter. Under French rules, if a petition reaches 500,000 verified signatures, the National Assembly may choose to hold a public debate limited to the content of the petition itself. Speaker Braun-Pivet told the broadcaster franceinfo on Sunday she would be in favour of such a debate, but lawmakers 'could not in any case go back on the law which has been voted through'. President Emmanuel Macron does have the power to send the text back for deputies to re-examine it, and on Sunday Green party leader Marine Tondelier appealed to him to do just that in a video posted online. In late June, ahead of the law's passage, several thousand demonstrators—including farmers, environmental organisations and scientists — rallied across France calling for the bill to be withdrawn. — AFP
