A petition opposing a draft law in France that would relax environmental protection rules, including reauthorizing the use of a pesticide considered harmful to bees, has broken a record today, surpassing 1.3 million signatures.
The petition, launched in early July by a 23-year-old student, has so far been signed by more than a million citizens, making it the first initiative on the French National Assembly’s website to surpass the 500,000-signature threshold. This milestone has increased pressure on the government to reconsider the proposed legislation, according to Reuters.
Although such petitions do not obligate the parliament to vote again, the number of signatures allows for a parliamentary debate to be initiated.
National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet and former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal have expressed support for opening a discussion on the matter.
The draft law, submitted by conservative MP Laurent Duplomb, proposes reauthorizing the use of acetamiprid, a neonicotinoid pesticide that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) identifies as posing a risk to bees.
The legislation also seeks to simplify procedures for approving livestock farming facilities and to ease regulations on irrigation.
French farmers protested in Paris in May against opposition amendments, defending the bill as necessary to help domestic producers compete with counterparts from other EU member states.
France is the EU’s largest sugar beet producer and home to major processors such as Tereos and Cristal Union.
Producers argue that acetamiprid is essential in combating the beet yellows virus, which in 2020 reduced yields by 30% and caused a significant drop in sugar production.
“We must preserve production tools, and I believe many comments are exaggerated,” said Arnaud Rousseau, president of France’s largest agricultural union FNSEA, in an interview with Franceinfo radio.
The government has defended the bill but acknowledges the seriousness of the public’s reaction.
“We must listen to the message of this petition. Perhaps we haven’t explained well enough or reassured the public. The aim of this law is to allow French farmers to compete with their EU colleagues on equal terms,” stated government spokesperson Sophie Primas.
