Million-strong petition in France demands halt to bee-killing pesticide
Controversial ‘Duplomb law’ permits the reintroduction of acetamiprid, a chemical known to harm pollinators and ecosystems
More than a million people on Sunday had signed a petition urging the French government to ditch a law allowing the reintroduction of a banned pesticide experts say is deadly to bees.
The so-called Duplomb law has stirred public anger for permitting a return of a chemical known to be toxic to pollinators such as bees and to ecosystems. It was adopted on July 8, but has not yet come into effect.
A 23-year-old master’s student launched the petition against the law on July 10, with support quickly snowballing with the backing of many, including actors and several left-wing lawmakers. More than 500,000 people signed the petition in 24 hours from Saturday and Sunday alone.
National Assembly Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet on Sunday ruled out abandoning the legislation, named after the conservative lawmaker who proposed it, as it would “save a certain number of our farmers.”
The petition’s author Eleonore Pattery, who describes herself as “a future environmental health professional”, called the new law a “scientific, ethical, environmental and public health aberration.”