French President Emmanuel Macron has signed into law a modified bill that permanently bars the reintroduction of a bee-killing pesticide, following a petition backed by more than two million people.
The legislation, which has stirred intense national debate, originated from a student-led petition that gained extraordinary public support.
Critics argue the bill adopted in July by a deeply divided lower house of parliament was rushed through without adequate discussion.
On Tuesday, the law was published in the government’s official journal after the Constitutional Council, France’s highest court, struck down a controversial clause that would have allowed the pesticide acetamiprid back on the market.
The court ruled that insecticides known as neonicotinoids posed “risks to human health” and violated the constitutional right to live in “a balanced and healthy environment” as outlined in the nation’s environmental charter.
Banned in France since 2018, acetamiprid remains legal in the European Union.
Supporters of its reintroduction particularly the main farmers’ union argue it is necessary for French farmers to remain competitive with their European counterparts.
While environmental protection was at the heart of the petition, campaigners say their frustration also reflects broader dissatisfaction with political deadlock in the country’s hung parliament, as well as a demand for greater public influence in decision-making.
Following the court’s decision, Macron vowed to “quickly enact the law” and dismissed calls for further parliamentary debate.
The legislation has been nicknamed the “Duplomb law” after its author, Laurent Duplomb, a senator from the right-wing Republicans party.
French Health Minister Yannick Neuder has since urged the European Union to re-evaluate the health impacts of acetamiprid.
