Several hundred farmers were dislodged Tuesday, December 14 a little before 8 a.m. by the police after launching an action in front of the Council of State, in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, indicates a journalist from franceinfo TV on the spot. Two FNSEA officials, two organizers, were arrested, he said.
Denouncing a “Republic of Judges”, the FNSEA and the Young Farmers had launched an action, from 6 a.m., before the Council of State, to denounce in particular a decision of the body aiming to widen the zones of prohibition of pesticide spreading, according to a journalist of France Inter on site.
Last July, the court gave the state six months to strengthen the rules for the use of pesticides in the open field, and in particular to increase the minimum spreading distances. Farmers are putting pressure on the executive, which has until Christmas to respond.
These measures were challenged before the Council of State by municipalities, associations and organic farmers who considered them insufficient and by a chamber of agriculture and farmers who considered them excessive. So at what distance from homes can we spray? 3 meters, 5 meters, 10 meters? The Council of State had ordered the “government to complete this regulation within 6 months”.
The farmers set fire to several pallets before taking the floor to denounce an injustice, according to them, that of the expansion of compensation for non-treatment areas imposed by the Council of State. Amandine Muret-Béghin, president of the Jeunes Agriculteurs Ile-de-France Ouest, does not understand this decision: “We know what we do and what we use. We do not understand all this controversy that can revolve around products and the use of these products. Once again, we are professionals. don’t just use it anyhow “.
The Council of State also wants to expand the list of products not to be used near homes, so-called suspect substances. He also wants to take into account the workers in these areas, and not just the inhabitants. So many restrictions that worry David, a farmer, who believes that, “it’s a loss of production” for them. “The surfaces will be left fallow and grass. This will create lawless areas”, he adds to the microphone of France Inter.