Responding to criticism from farmers regarding the
“unfair competition”
of which they consider themselves victims, Gabriel Attal announced this Thursday that he wanted to prevent the importation into France of fruits and vegetables treated with the pesticide thiacloprid.
“I have decided to immediately take a safeguard clause on the pesticide thiacloprid which finally prohibits imports of fruits and vegetables treated with this pesticide that we have banned in Europe
,” declared the Prime Minister during a press conference. from Matignon.
This neonicotinoid has been banned in Europe since 2020. It has already been banned in France since 2018.
According to Gabriel Attal, this decision represents an example of a
"safeguard clause"
or
"mirror measure"
- a mechanism which requires imported products to respect the same rules as those imposed on European farmers -, which France can take to avoid
"the unfair competition"
.