To support the sugar industry, France intends to resume using neonicotinoid‑treated beet seeds.

Release Date:

2020-08-25

To support the “sustainable” development of the sugar industry, the French government intends to allow, starting in 2021, the reintroduction of coated sugar beet seeds containing neonicotinoid insecticides, sparking fierce protests from environmental groups and beekeepers.

According to AFP, France’s Ministry of Agriculture recently announced its intention to introduce legislative amendments this autumn, aiming to lift the ban on certain neonicotinoid pesticides by 2023.

Neonicotinoid insecticides target the nervous systems of insects and are highly lethal. Since the mid-1990s, neonicotinoids have been among the most widely used pesticides worldwide. In France, these compounds are primarily applied as seed coatings for preventive protection. As a result, the active insecticidal substances are absorbed by the plant and distributed throughout all its tissues, including the pollen. This practice is extensively employed on sugar beets, wheat, rapeseed, fruit trees, and grapevines to control caterpillars, mealybugs, aphids, and other harmful pests. However, neonicotinoids can also impair the nervous systems and reproductive capabilities of pollinating insects. Since their widespread adoption, French beekeepers have observed a marked increase in disease‑related bee mortality. Following prolonged debate, the French government enacted legislation in September 2018 banning the sale and use of neonicotinoid‑containing insecticides.

However, French sugar beet growers have been complaining for several weeks now about severe aphid infestations. Sugar beets damaged by aphids almost invariably develop viral yellows, leaving farmers with no effective means of controlling the pests and forcing them to watch their hard work go to waste.

With the backing of local elected officials, the French Beet Growers’ Union (CGB) has petitioned the government to reinstate the use of coated seeds containing neonicotinoid insecticides—seeds whose surfaces are encased in a composite coating made from a mixture of insecticides, fertilizers, growth regulators, and other substances.

Although the beet harvest season has not yet begun, CGB warns that France’s sugar production this year will be “only 600,000 to 800,000 tonnes.”

France is Europe’s largest sugar producer, with the sugar industry supporting 46,000 jobs, including 25,000 farmers and 21 sugar refineries. The president of Cristal Union, the group that owns the Daddy brand, recently commented on the Ministry of Agriculture’s decision, stating, “This is not about questioning the ecological transition; it is about enabling us to be participants in that transition, rather than its victims.” Tereos, the world’s second-largest sugar producer and owner of the Béghin Say brand, also welcomed the government’s decision.

Meanwhile, François Veillerette, president of the environmental group Générations futures, expressed deep anger, saying, “France has long been a model for rejecting pesticides, but now it has fallen from grace!” The National Union of Beekeepers (UNAF) also sent an open letter to the Ministry of Agriculture, urging the government to maintain the ban. The letter stated, “We cannot afford to reverse course,” warning that otherwise, “France’s beekeeping sector would suffer a catastrophic blow.”

Source: Yunnan Sugar Network

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