The petition targets an adjustment to the agricultural law, which allows the use of a pesticide that was previously banned due to health risks. This pesticide is primarily intended for sugar beet cultivation. The new legislation partially reverses that decision, which has sparked widespread outrage.
The initiator of the petition is a twenty-year-old law student. Her call for the repeal of the law has generated an unprecedented response within days. The threshold of 500,000 digital signatures — required to force a public debate in parliament — was exceeded rapidly. Shortly after, the number of supporters rose further to over 800,000.
The French politician behind the controversial amendment is Julien Duplomb, a member of parliament active within Les Républicains, a party operating to the right of the political center. He defended his proposal as necessary to protect the French sugar beet sector, which he claims is under economic pressure.
French farming organizations have been fighting for years against the ban on certain chemical agents. They consider these pesticides essential to protect crops from diseases and pests. Several unions have led strong campaigns in the past against environmental legislation aiming to restrict the use of these agents.
The massive petition has caused division in French politics. Left-wing parties speak of a unique mobilization for the environment and call for the repeal of the amendment. Right-wing and center-right parties maintain the position that exceptions are necessary to ensure agricultural production.
The law will now be reviewed again by the French Senate. This second examination is a direct consequence of the citizen initiative. Although the Senate can only delay and not block legislative changes, the file is thus gaining renewed public and political attention.
Within the European Union, there has long been debate about the use of harmful pesticides. The European Green Deal includes proposals to reduce their use. These plans have partly stalled due to opposition from influential agricultural lobbies and political groups in the European Parliament that strongly advocate for farmers' interests.