Eight associations attacked this Tuesday, before the Council of State, the new regulations governing the use of pesticides near homes. One of the appeals concerns the decree imposing since 1 January minimum spreading distances (5, 10 and 20 meters). The other targets the decree on good neighborly charters which must be negotiated at the local level but which, deplore non-governmental organizations (NGOs), "may be drafted essentially under the dictation of agricultural players".
The collective involved in the remedies brings together the environmental associations Eau & Rivières de Bretagne, France Nature Environnement and Générations Futures, as well as the Alerts of doctors on pesticides (AMLP), the collective of victims of pesticides in the west and Vigilance OGM Charentes . But also the consumer defense association UFC-Que Choisir and the trade union Solidaires. A ninth structure, the collective of victims of pesticides in Hauts-de-France, supports the approach.
The NGOs believe that the texts will not protect either "workers" and residents, or the environment, in particular "water resources". They describe the provisions that came into force on January 1 as “measures”, “totally ineffective in meeting the expected requirements for protecting populations”.
Also contested in the agricultural world
The arguments they present to the Council of State relate as much to the "deficiencies" and the "weaknesses" of the assessments on endocrine disruptors and the combined effects of substances (cocktail effects), as to the epidemiological studies showing the impact the use of pesticides on the health of agricultural workers.
Non-treatment zones (ZNT) are also disputed in the agricultural world, the Rural Coordination having filed an appeal in mid-February, while the FNSEA and the Young Farmers have asked for a moratorium. These unions are also demanding compensation for the loss of hectares.
Many unknowns remain as to the conditions of application of the texts published on December 27, for example on the establishment of physical barriers between plots and dwellings. The government has also been slow to communicate on the list of substances affected by the restrictions, as Le Parisien demonstrated. It was finally published last weekend.
