"Justice for the living": the public rapporteur proposes re-evaluating authorized pesticides
For environmental organizations, this would be a victory that goes against the grain of the Duplomb agricultural law, which seeks to standardize the use of certain pesticides. In the appeal hearing in the "Justice for Life" case, the public rapporteur suggested Friday that the state be forced to review its pesticide assessment and authorization procedures, to the satisfaction of NGOs that denounce a collapse in biodiversity.
In June 2023, the Paris administrative court ordered the State at first instance to compensate for “ecological damage” linked to the massive use of pesticides in agriculture.
The five environmental protection NGOs (Pollinis, Notre Affaire à tous, the National Association for the Protection of Water and Rivers, Biodiversity Under Our Feet, and ASPAS) that filed the appeal welcomed the "historic" decision but called for the government to be forced to review its pesticide authorization methods. The government also appealed.
During a hearing at the Paris Administrative Court of Appeal, the public rapporteur proposed that the judges order the State to implement a risk assessment on "non-target" species within the framework of the marketing authorization procedure for plant protection products, within a period of twelve months. In other words, to verify that these products affect the target species and not others, such as bees .
It then proposes to "proceed, where appropriate, to a re-examination of marketing authorizations for which the evaluation methodology did not comply with this requirement." Its conclusions are generally - but not systematically - followed by the judges, who will "probably" render their decision during the first half of July, the president indicated.
However, two faults found at first instance were dismissed: failure to comply with the quantified objective of reducing pesticide use in successive government "Ecophyto" plans and failure to comply with the obligation to protect water resources against pesticides.
The NGOs, however, expressed their satisfaction at having been supported on the issue of pesticides, which is at the heart of their proceedings. "It's really a big step forward if it's followed by the judges," reacted Justine Ripoll, campaign manager for Notre Affaire À Tous.
"It is really the fact of reviewing the ANSES approval processes that will create this virtuous circle" with a "reduction in authorized pesticides and this knock-on effect which means that we will develop alternatives for farmers," she hopes.
La Croıx
