Five associations (Pollinis, Notre Affaire à Tous, ASPAS, Anper-Tos and Biodiversity under our feet) took the State to court on Monday, January 10, to denounce France’s management regarding the use of pesticides.
Loss of biodiversity as evidence that further evaluation of pesticides is needed
The appeal against the State lodged with the administrative court of Paris asks to review the pesticide approval process, deemed insufficient by the associations. The campaign manager of “Our Common Business”, Justine Ripoll, declared to France Info that “the pesticide validation process contains a lot of flaws, and ignores up to 99% of scientific studies” on glyphosate. While the massive use of pesticides in French agricultural practices is causing the collapse of biodiversity, evaluations of these pesticides are not able to curb this environmental crisis (no tests in real conditions, for example ). The loss of biodiversity is massive according to associations, which cite, for example, the fact that three quarters of pollinators have disappeared.
France has a role to play with the European Presidency
For Justine Ripoll, France is not heading towards a reduction in the use of pesticides. France published with three other countries a report on an evaluation of the reintroduction of glyphosate at European level, ignoring scientific studies on the subject, judging them systematically negligent, impertinent or incomplete. Decisions on pesticides will be taken at European level, the French government has a role to play with the European presidency, recalls the person in charge of “Our common concern”.