The trial of a traffic in pesticides which allowed the illegal importation from Spain of 80 tons of prohibited products opened Wednesday in correctional in Coutances (Manche).
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Thirteen people appear in this trial which is to last three days.
Most are carrot producers prosecuted for holding and using plant protection products that do not benefit from an authorization, from February 2018 to November 2020 in Créances (Manche) or nearby.
The trafficking involved dichloropropene, banned in France since 2018 insofar as it is considered toxic to health and dangerous for the environment by Ineris (National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks).
This pesticide was used against a parasitic carrot worm, which grows on sandy soils such as those which made the reputation of Créances carrots.
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The investigation uncovered the illegal import from Spain of 80 tonnes of product based on this pesticide used in the debt sector. Two of the defendants must answer for placing on the market in an organized group of plant protection products that do not benefit from an authorization, and for advertising or recommending these products.
One of the market gardeners is also being prosecuted for aggravated money laundering, that is to say for helping to provide false proof of the origin of the property of the perpetrator of an offense.
Twenty people were interviewed on November 4 and 5 in the Manche, Gard and Pyrénées-Orientales as part of the investigation.
"
The majority of those implicated
" "
admitted having participated in the importation and use of this phytosanitary product
," said the prosecution.
"Discredit over the entire agricultural profession"
In a press release;
the Channel FDSEA said Wednesday "
a little easy to cast shame
" on these producers.
The union criticizes the "
arbitrary suppression, for three years, of an adequate treatment
" and deplores that the "
envelopes promised in compensation of the damages (...) have still not been paid to the producers
".
Annick Briand, who represents the Confédération paysanne civil party in the lawsuit, estimated with AFP that the defendants "
discredit the entire agricultural profession
" while according to her they are a "
minority
" of producers of Carrots of Claims for not having followed the rules.
“
Dichloropropene has been banned by the European Union since 2009. A derogation in France was granted until 2018. So it's been ten years since these producers should have anticipated a change in the system, as did the others.
We cannot speak of a surprise,
”added this organic market gardener.
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The alternative is to move away from monoculture by promoting crop rotation and using trap crops, she said.
But “
it is true that there have been significant drops in yields, losses in turnover.
Some carrot producers have stopped their activity,
”added Ms. Briand.
Exemptions from the use of dichloropropene continue to be granted to Spain, Italy, Portugal and Cyprus, which also have crops on sandy soils, according to the Peasant Confederation.
France nature environnement (FNE) is also a civil party.
In mid-December the administrative court of Caen had ruled in summary proceedings against some of these market gardeners who requested the suspension of the reports ordering the destruction of part of their production.