language language

    France has resumed the use of neonicotinoid insecticides to save the sugar beet industry.


    Release Date:

    2020-10-30

    French media reported on the 28th that, in an effort to rescue the beet industry, the French Senate has passed a bill temporarily reinstating the use of neonicotinoid insecticides—pesticides that have drawn widespread concern due to their potential risks to the central nervous systems of insects and mammals.

      

    The bill is highly controversial: for some lawmakers, it aims to safeguard agriculture and downstream industries, while for others, it threatens the environment. It authorizes, under an “exception,” the use of neonicotinoid‑treated seeds by sugar beet producers through 2023. This “exception” is explicitly limited to sugar beets. The legislation also establishes a monitoring committee to oversee the implementation of this pesticide‑use exemption. The bill is scheduled to take effect no later than December, giving manufacturers sufficient time to produce the seeds needed for March planting.

      

    In 2020, French sugar beets suffered severe damage from aphid infestations, compounded by spring drought; national yields are estimated to have declined by 13–20%, with severely affected regions experiencing production drops of 40–50%. The sugar beet sector and its related industries support 46,000 jobs across France.

     

    Source: European Times

    Tags: