They are not asking to change the law but simply that it be applied.
A collective of farmers, consumers and the socialist deputy for Eure Philippe Brun are taking the State to court for “unfair competition”, in order to force it to ban the importation of agricultural products for which pesticides have been used or not respecting European standards.
“Our farmers face unfair competition on imports of agricultural products.
We impose restrictive standards on them which do not apply to imported products,” argues the socialist deputy in a press release and on the social network
🧵 Together with farmers and consumers, we are taking legal action today to ban unfair competition!
Join us!https://t.co/ovEkvQqtco@Justiceagricole pic.twitter.com/2SUWvlKaJn
— Philippe Brun (@p_brun) February 15, 2024
This subject is one of the reasons for the anger of farmers who blocked part of France in January and threaten to mobilize again before the Agricultural Show, scheduled in nine days in Paris.
According to INRAE (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment), up to 25% of the products we consume “do not comply with European standards”, underlines the MP.
“Can we continue to consume agricultural products that have been subject to treatments that are dangerous for our health and banned in France or Europe?
», Writes the collective in an online petition.
Certainly, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced that the importation into France of fruits and vegetables treated with thiacloprid will be prohibited.
But the deputy for Eure and the Justice for our Farmers association emphasize that article 44 of the law of October 30, 2018 (known as the Egalim law) prohibits the importation of agricultural products for which use of non-toxic pesticides has been made. authorized by European regulations or not complying with the identification and traceability requirements imposed by these same European regulations.
But “the decrees implementing this article have not been taken,” they deplore.
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Two appeals are in preparation: "One to condemn the government to enforce the law, and another to seek compensation from farmers and consumers harmed due to the government's failure to enforce the law."
The MP intends to bring the subject to the Agricultural Show and invites “all citizens, farmers or consumers” who wish to join this legal action, via the website justicepournosafricaines.fr