what is thiacloprid, this insecticide whose residues can be present in imported fruits and vegetables

The Prime Minister says he wants to prevent the importation into France of fruits and vegetables treated with the pesticide thiacloprid. Why is this product in the viewfinder? What is it used for ?

Gabriel Attal wants to prevent the importation into France of fruits and vegetables treated with thiacloprid. This is one of the measures unveiled by the Prime Minister on Thursday February 1 to appease agricultural anger. This insecticide eliminates crop pests such as, for example, aphids or Colorado potato beetles. Manufactured by Bayer laboratories, this product is part of the neonicotinoid family, which has a formidable principle. The active substance that repels parasites is absorbed by the plant, and it spreads throughout its structure: from the leaves, to the flower, passing the pollen. This is why this type of product also has an impact on bees and other pollinators. It attacks their nervous system, disorients them, and contributes to their decline.

If it is banned in Europe, it is not only for this reason. Beyond the impact on pollinators, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) also estimated in a 2020 opinion that thiacloprid can have consequences for human health. It is reprotoxic, that is to say potentially harmful to fertility and fetuses. It is also classified as a probable carcinogen and an endocrine disruptor.

Unfair competition

This product may disrupt the hormonal system. This explains why France banned it in 2018, and why the entire European Union did the same in 2020. But as this insecticide continues to be used in other countries around the world, certain fruits and Imported vegetables may contain residues from this processing. Gabriel Attal wants to put an end to this unfair competition by banning imports of products treated with thiacloprid.

This is a mirror measurement. Imported products are required to respect the same rules as those imposed on European farmers. Despite this first step forward, environmental defense organizations remain unsatisfied. This point represents a drop in the ocean compared to what should be done, believes Barbara Berardi, research director for the NGO Pollinis. If we want to follow this logic through to the end, we should ban the importation of food products treated with all the pesticides, fungicides and herbicides already banned in Europe, but which continue to be used elsewhere in the world. The list, she says, should not stop at just thiacloprid.