Are there plant protection products “which are not at risk”, as Marc Fesneau says?

While the government presents its new Ecophyto plan on Monday to reduce the use of pesticides, the Minister of Agriculture assures that there are “plant protection products which are not at risk”. In fact, any pesticide presents a danger. But it is true that some are more at risk than others and all of the controls limit the risks.

A new plan, a new method, a new measurement indicator but always the same stated objective. The government presents its Écophyto plan on Monday, May 6, which aims to reduce the use of pesticides by 50% compared to the 2011-2023 average. In this context, the Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, assures Franceinfo that we should not put all products on the same level: “There are phytosanitary products which are not at risk, sorry to tell you”, he said. True or false ?

Any phytosanitary product presents a risk, but “acceptable” and “controlled”

Any phytosanitary product presents a risk, whether for health or the environment, as confirmed to us by the Health Safety Agency (ANSES). By their very definition, pesticides aim to repel or destroy pests. These are therefore not trivial products. But it is true that some products are more at risk than others and, in all cases, “our job is to ensure that the risk becomes acceptable and controlled”specifies to franceinfo Bertrand Bitaud, head of the marketing authorizations department at Anses.

In fact, a set of controls, precautions for use or dosage are put in place in order to limit the risks. If a pesticide is authorized on the market, the risk is considered to be “mastered” And “acceptable”. The marketing rules are set by French and European regulatory texts.

Regular risk reassessments

A phytosanitary product can nevertheless leave the market. Pesticides are re-evaluated approximately every ten years, taking into account any alerts received from the field or new knowledge. Authorities can also ask the institution to reanalyze a product earlier. If the product no longer meets all the criteria, if the risk is no longer considered to be “acceptable”the product is withdrawn from the market.

This is the case for certain glyphosate-based products. “While there were more than 200 products on the market at the end of 2018 in France, there will only be around twenty at the start of 2023”, writes Anses. The active substance glyphosate was nevertheless reapproved in November 2023 by the European Commission, for a period of ten years, with a set of “risk mitigation measures”, while several associations called for its deletion. Economic and political decisions also come into play.

In ten years, a third of phytosanitary products eliminated

The trend is towards reducing the number of authorized phytosanitary products. In ten years, a third of the products have been eliminated, specifies Bertrand Bitaud. This does not mean that the total quantity of pesticides used on plots in France has decreased in the same proportions. The most risky products (classified CMR1) have been reduced by 95% since 2015, according to the government. But Nodu, the indicator previously used in France to measure the overall use of pesticides, is generally at the same level as ten years ago.