More than 100 new pesticides authorized in France, the list of products concerned is long

Some pesticides have been banned, and the government intends to replace them. The Ministry of Agriculture mentions about a hundred new products coming to market soon.

Phytosanitary products, substances or mixtures of substances of a chemical or biological nature, used in agriculture to protect plants, are increasingly controlled. In France, the Echophyto 2030 plan aims to reduce the risks and uses of these products, in particular to combat climate change and to guarantee the preservation of biodiversity. The objective set, in accordance with with the European Union directives, is the reduction of 50% of plant protection products by 2030.

Some of these products, which are in reality pesticides, have thus been banned, but farmers need alternatives to limit losses linked to pests that impact their crops. This is what is provided for in the “action plan for the anticipation of the withdrawal of active substances and the development of alternative crop protection techniques” (Parsada), launched at the beginning of the year.

The list of sectors concerned is vast: field crops, seeds and plants, vines, horticulture, fruits and vegetables, plants and plants. perfume, aromatics, medicinal and condiment products, all with strong stakes in particular on beetroot, rapeseed and cherries. By presenting its report of the Committee& eacute; solutions and alternatives to banned phytosanitary products, in July, the Ministry of Agriculture assured that it had analyzed “262” ;uses on 55 crops” and having found “778 additional solutions of high or medium interest", which are available in other countries of the 39;EU.

Of these, 400 have been selected as being of interest to France. For 101 of them, already used elsewhere in Europe, applications have already been submitted by manufacturers to the French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) to obtain marketing authorisation. of these new products will be on the market in the short and medium term, i.e. one to two years,” the ministry announced, allowing the replacement of banned molecules with new pesticides considered much safer.

A forthcoming committee meeting will take place in September or October to find solutions molecule by molecule and adapted to the difficulties encountered by farmers. It is also about ensuring fair competition within the European Union. The Ministry of Agriculture also launched a new call for expressions of interest on July 16 to “accelerate the deployment and massification of alternative solutions to the use of plant protection products, on a territorial scale”. So it's not over yet.