The French government claimed to respond to the anger of farmers by
announcing the end of the ecophyto plan which aimed to reduce the use of
phytosanitary products. But what was this ecophyto plan? And what can we
learn from its cancellation? ---- The ecophyto 2018 plan (or Ecophyto I)
is a 2008 measure which aimed to halve the use of phytosanitary products
in ten years. It has been the subject of significant conflicts between,
on the one hand, environmental associations and the Peasant
Confederation and, on the other, the agro-industrial lobby with the
FNSEA in the lead. This legislative battle was "won" by the
environmentalist camp which was able to benefit from the Grenelle de
l'environnement to impose its vision and objectives.
Indeed, such a reduction can only be the result of a change in the
system causing phytosanitary products to lose their central place in
French agriculture. This vision is radically opposed to that of the
FNSEA which evoked an already "reasoned" use of pesticide and whose
effects it was above all necessary to mitigate. This victory of
objectives, however, came up against a wall of means. The two flagship
measures are the creation of the Déphy network, a network of pilot farms
which could serve as a model for the transition to zero phyto, and the
plant surveillance bulletin (BSV) responsible for better informing farmers.
This first ecophyto plan was a failure with a 20% increase in the use of
phytosanitary products! Armed with this lesson, the government therefore
chose to implement a binding measure for its ecophyto II plan in 2015: a
new market, the Certificate of Economy of Phytosanitary Products (CEPP).
The idea is that each phyto supplier takes action to reduce its use in
order to generate certificates which can be exchanged between
structures. This measure should make it possible to reduce pesticides by
half by 2025.
A total fiasco
In 2023, the indicators for pesticides are at the same level as 2009.
The Egalim law, effective since 2021, has in fact removed this system by
separating advice from sales. Instead, the law sought to promote
agro-ecology through public markets but here too, it was a failure: only
20% of collective catering achieved the desired quality compared to the
50% displayed.
In 2024, the fiasco is total. It is difficult to draw definitive
conclusions as the failure is enormous and sometimes comes down to pure
incompetence. On the other hand, we can attribute this incompetence to
the government's communicative approach towards ecology and explaining,
in part, the lack of resources. We can also see a lack of understanding
or political will in relation to the role played by agriculture: no
measures taken concerning competition from international markets or
distribution chains which possess economic power.
Above all, we can learn a lesson from the technical monopoly exercised
by pesticides in agriculture in France. This is not an isolated subject
but it is one of the pillars of the agro-industry around which it
organizes its activity. The objectives of the plans then take on a
symbolic character. Fighting pesticides means fighting a powerful and
organized lobby in France. The next plan will likely be a failure in
turn because, in such a situation, the contradictions of capitalism
appear stronger than ever: it is impossible to protect both capital and
our health.
Corentin (UCL Kreiz-Breizh)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Plan-ecophyto-Il-n-en-restera-meme-plus-le-symbole
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
announcing the end of the ecophyto plan which aimed to reduce the use of
phytosanitary products. But what was this ecophyto plan? And what can we
learn from its cancellation? ---- The ecophyto 2018 plan (or Ecophyto I)
is a 2008 measure which aimed to halve the use of phytosanitary products
in ten years. It has been the subject of significant conflicts between,
on the one hand, environmental associations and the Peasant
Confederation and, on the other, the agro-industrial lobby with the
FNSEA in the lead. This legislative battle was "won" by the
environmentalist camp which was able to benefit from the Grenelle de
l'environnement to impose its vision and objectives.
Indeed, such a reduction can only be the result of a change in the
system causing phytosanitary products to lose their central place in
French agriculture. This vision is radically opposed to that of the
FNSEA which evoked an already "reasoned" use of pesticide and whose
effects it was above all necessary to mitigate. This victory of
objectives, however, came up against a wall of means. The two flagship
measures are the creation of the Déphy network, a network of pilot farms
which could serve as a model for the transition to zero phyto, and the
plant surveillance bulletin (BSV) responsible for better informing farmers.
This first ecophyto plan was a failure with a 20% increase in the use of
phytosanitary products! Armed with this lesson, the government therefore
chose to implement a binding measure for its ecophyto II plan in 2015: a
new market, the Certificate of Economy of Phytosanitary Products (CEPP).
The idea is that each phyto supplier takes action to reduce its use in
order to generate certificates which can be exchanged between
structures. This measure should make it possible to reduce pesticides by
half by 2025.
A total fiasco
In 2023, the indicators for pesticides are at the same level as 2009.
The Egalim law, effective since 2021, has in fact removed this system by
separating advice from sales. Instead, the law sought to promote
agro-ecology through public markets but here too, it was a failure: only
20% of collective catering achieved the desired quality compared to the
50% displayed.
In 2024, the fiasco is total. It is difficult to draw definitive
conclusions as the failure is enormous and sometimes comes down to pure
incompetence. On the other hand, we can attribute this incompetence to
the government's communicative approach towards ecology and explaining,
in part, the lack of resources. We can also see a lack of understanding
or political will in relation to the role played by agriculture: no
measures taken concerning competition from international markets or
distribution chains which possess economic power.
Above all, we can learn a lesson from the technical monopoly exercised
by pesticides in agriculture in France. This is not an isolated subject
but it is one of the pillars of the agro-industry around which it
organizes its activity. The objectives of the plans then take on a
symbolic character. Fighting pesticides means fighting a powerful and
organized lobby in France. The next plan will likely be a failure in
turn because, in such a situation, the contradictions of capitalism
appear stronger than ever: it is impossible to protect both capital and
our health.
Corentin (UCL Kreiz-Breizh)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Plan-ecophyto-Il-n-en-restera-meme-plus-le-symbole
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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