a parliamentary commission of inquiry denounces a form of “carelessness” and “helplessness” in public action

Parliamentarians have identified blockages in controlling the consequences of plant protection products on human and environmental health.

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A farmer disperses pesticides or phytosanitary products on a crop, November 17, 2020. Illustrative photo.  (DENISE ROSSANO / MAXPPP)

The conclusion is damning. The deputies of a parliamentary commission of inquiry into phytosanitary products denounce the impotence of public authorities in recent years, while France embarks on a new plan to reduce the use of pesticides.

The parliamentary commission of inquiry denounces a form “carelessness” And “of helplessness” in public action while it is possible, according to her, to significantly reduce pesticides while ensuring food safety. It makes recommendations to hope to escape the chemical spreading that contaminates all natural environments.

France is moving forward on the margins

This is an emergency because the country has already lost more than a decade. All areas of the environment are today contaminated: water, air, soil, and even the oceans. Additionally, there are high risks for a range of serious illnesses that affect adults and children.

According to parliamentarians, the Écophyto plans to gradually reduce the use of phytosanitary products have so far had no consequences on the use of pesticides. Alternatives such as organic or the Delphy experimental farms, a network which brings together 3,000 farms engaged in a voluntary approach to reducing the use of pesticides, have been poorly treated by the public authorities. In addition, the common agricultural policy (CAP) encourages a historic French model that is heavy on pesticides.

Finally, it is at the margins that France is moving forward on the subject even though it would need a profound “redesign” of agricultural systems to achieve the objective of minus 50%, which is continually pushed back.


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