Latest news with #LaurentDuplomb
Euronews
5 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
French farmers protest as parliament clashes over agriculture bill
Hundreds of farmers descended on Paris on Monday, bringing their tractors - and their frustration - straight to the gates of the French National Assembly. Their goal was to support a divisive piece of legislation tabled by far-right MP Laurent Duplomb. The Duplomb agricultural bill promises to ease what many in the agricultural field see as suffocating administrative constraints. It would make it easier to obtain construction permits for livestock facilities and water reservoirs, and re-authorise the temporary use of certain pesticides such as acetamiprid; a neonicotinoid insecticide banned in France since 2018. While still allowed in other European Union countries, acetamiprid has raised alarms among environmentalists and beekeepers due to its impact on pollinators and potential health risks for humans. The bill was scheduled for debate, followed by a vote in the lower house of parliament on Monday. But opposition lawmakers, mostly from the green and left-wing parties, submitted around 3,500 amendments in an attempt to delay proceedings. With debate threatened by legislative gridlock, centrist, conservative, and far-right lawmakers passed a motion to dismiss debating the bill in parliament. The proposal now moves to a joint committee of seven senators and seven members of parliament (MPs) - most of them supportive of the farmers' demands. The committee will have to agree on a common version that will then be subjected to a final vote by MPs - this time, without the possibility of any amendments. The move has infuriated the left, which has announced plans to file a no-confidence motion against the government in response. For many of the farmers present at the protest, this bill represents a chance to ease mounting pressures, both economic and regulatory. Clément Patoir, a 19-year-old grain farmer, described how bureaucratic red tape is driving young people away from the craft. "There are fewer young people who want to become farmers nowadays. Many children of farmers have to constantly hear about their parents struggling with regulations. It is a complicated job, you work long hours, and you're not necessarily rewarded." "The majority of French farmers are trying to survive. What we all want is to live and not survive. So, fewer constraints and simplification would be much appreciated," Patoir told Euronews. Another young sugar beet farmer, Pierrick, said that the bill is about maintaining production levels. The acetamiprid pesticide is considered essential by many sugar beet and hazelnut producers. "Today, all the methods of production to produce as much as we can are gradually being taken away from us. In addition, we always have administrative constraints that add to our workload ... But to maintain the levels of production that we have, no, there is no alternative today that works," he explained. Supporters of the bill argue that easing restrictions will be critical to avoiding reliance on imports and keeping France's agricultural sector competitive. But environmentalists and left-wing lawmakers see the bill as dangerous. Among those gathered in Paris to oppose it was Gabriel Bertein, a left-wing mayor, who warned of long-term damage to biodiversity and soil health. "If this kind of bill does pass, this will be a sign we are going backwards. We open the doors to more use of pesticide products that we know are dangerous to life," he told Euronews while being heckled by a group of farmers. He added that state funding should shift toward more sustainable farming practices. "We must stop helping and subsidising a type of intensive agriculture that is not going in the right direction. There is an urgent need to change direction, to focus on these topics." Demonstrations are also planned in Brussels next week, targeting the EU's environmental rules and green policy agenda. Greece has said it has completed work on an undersea power cable connecting the mainland to the island of Crete, a key step in its ambitious plan for a wider expansion of the grid that will eventually include Cyprus and Israel. The €1 billion link spanning 330 kilometres was plugged in on Saturday and is expected to be fully operational this summer, Greece's grid operator said. The project, for which the European Union provided the bulk of funding through grants and loans, aims to bolster energy diversification after after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Athens hopes to extend the link, dubbed the Great Sea Interconnector, to Cyprus and Israel by the end of the decade. The project is also a move towards Crete being able to replace fossil fuel-based power generation with renewables, government officials said. "Crete is becoming a central pillar for the country's energy transition," Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou said. "We're moving forward with the development of an integrated network of electrical interconnections, strengthening our country as a strategic energy hub in the Eastern Mediterranean." However, the wider project has been complicated by financial disagreements and an ongoing maritime dispute with Turkey. Greece and Egypt also want to establish a separate undersea link on a similar timetable that would bypass the island of Crete and connect directly to the Greek mainland. The undersea cables to Crete have been laid at a depth of 1,200 metres and will support a capacity of 1,000 megawatts using high-voltage direct current transmission systems. Supervised by a subsidiary of Greece's Independent Power Transmission Operator, the project involved private contractors Siemens Energy of Germany, Greek construction firm TERNA and the Italy-based Prysmian Group cable company, among others.
Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
French farmers protest in Paris over bill easing farm rules
Tractors are parked in front of the French National Assembly during a farmers protest in Paris on May 26, 2025. PHOTO: ALJAZEERA Listen to article Farmers have staged protests across Paris, blocking highways and rallying outside the National Assembly on Monday, in opposition to proposed legislation that would ease environmental restrictions on agriculture. The demonstrations, organised by France's main farming union FNSEA, come in response to amendments filed by opposition lawmakers to a controversial bill that would loosen controls on pesticide and water use. Around ten tractors were parked near the National Assembly as over 150 farmers from regions including Île-de-France, Grand Est and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur gathered to pressure MPs debating the bill. The proposed law, introduced by far-right MP Laurent Duplomb, seeks to simplify administrative procedures for breeding facilities, relax water use rules to encourage irrigation reservoirs, and reintroduce acetamiprid — a neonicotinoid pesticide banned in France since 2018 due to its environmental impact, particularly on bee populations. Supporters, including FNSEA, argue the pesticide is already authorised elsewhere in the EU and is less harmful than other alternatives. They claim the broader legislation is essential to maintaining France's agricultural competitiveness in the face of rising production costs and stringent EU regulations. 'This bill to lift the constraints on the farming profession is very important to us,' FNSEA Secretary-General Hervé Lapie told AFP. 'We've been fighting for this for 20 years. We don't have the patience to wait any longer.' However, environmental groups and unions representing small-scale and organic farmers warn the changes would favour industrial agriculture and undermine environmental protections. Critics on the political left have proposed amendments aimed at maintaining stricter standards, prompting concern among protesting farmers. 'We're asking the lawmakers, our lawmakers, to be serious and vote for it as it stands,' said Julien Thierry, a grain farmer from Yvelines, criticising MPs from the Greens and left-wing France Unbowed (LFI). Ecologists MP Delphine Batho called the bill 'Trump-inspired,' while LFI's Aurélie Trouvé described it in Le Monde as 'a political capitulation' and 'an ecological turning point.' FNSEA President Arnaud Rousseau said protests would continue through Wednesday, with farmers from Centre-Val de Loire and Hauts-de-France regions expected to join. Demonstrations are also planned in Brussels next week as farmers across Europe push back against EU green policies and environmental regulations. Farmers across the continent have secured concessions in recent years after protesting what they see as burdensome red tape and unfair competition from cheaper imports.
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
French farmers protest in Paris for law loosening environmental regulations
French farmers have disrupted highway traffic around Paris and rallied in front of parliament to protest against amendments filed by opposition lawmakers to a bill that would loosen environmental regulations on farming. Members of France's leading farming union, the FNSEA, parked about 10 tractors outside the National Assembly on Monday to put pressure on MPs, who began debating the legislation in the afternoon. The legislation, tabled by far-right MP Laurent Duplomb, proposes simplifying approvals for breeding facilities, loosening restrictions around water use to promote irrigation reservoirs and reauthorising a banned neonicotinoid pesticide used in sugar beet cultivation that environmentalists say is harmful to bees. The proposed law is part of a wider trend in numerous European Union states to unwind environmental legislation as farmers grapple with rising costs and households struggle with the cost-of-living crisis. More than 150 farmers from the Ile-de-France, Grand Est and Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur regions gathered peacefully in front of the National Assembly, drinking coffee and eating croissants, after blocking the main roads around the capital. 'This bill to lift the constraints on the farming profession is very important to us,' FNSEA Secretary-General Herve Lapie told the AFP news agency. 'What we are asking for is simply to be able to work in a European environment: a single market, a single set of rules. We've been fighting for this for 20 years. For once, there's a bill along these lines. … We don't have the patience to wait any longer.' The FNSEA and its allies say the neonicotinoid pesticide acetamiprid, which has been prohibited in France since 2018 due to environmental and health concerns, should be authorised in France like it is across the EU because it is less toxic to wildlife than other neonicotinoids and stops crops from being ravaged by pests. Environmental campaigners and some unions representing small-scale and organic farmers say the bill benefits the large-scale agriculture industry at the expense of independent operators. President Emmanuel Macron's opponents on the political left have proposed multiple amendments that the protesting farmers said threatened the bill. 'We're asking the lawmakers, our lawmakers, to be serious and vote for it as it stands,' Julien Thierry, a grain farmer from the Yvelines department outside Paris, told The Associated Press news agency, criticising politicians from the Greens and left-wing France Unbowed (LFI). Ecologists party MP Delphine Batho said the text of the bill is 'Trump-inspired' while LFI MP Aurelie Trouve wrote in an article for the French daily Le Monde that it signified 'a political capitulation, one that marks an ecological junction'. FNSEA chief Arnaud Rousseau said protests would continue until Wednesday with farmers from the Centre-Val de Loire and Hauts-de-France regions expected to join their colleagues. Protests are also expected in Brussels next week, targeting the EU's environmental regulations and green policies. Farmers across France and Europe won concessions last year after railing against cheap foreign competition and what they say are unnecessary regulations.
