Pesticides: Christophe Béchu denies any “setback” on biodiversity and health

The executive has barely seen the end of the agricultural crisis when another discontent is already being heard. That of elected officials and environmental activists who denounce a step backwards on environmental rules, after the concessions made to farmers. “We have never done so much for ecology, no one can dispute that. It’s an ecological five-year term,” replied Christophe Béchu, guest this Sunday of the “Grand Jury RTL-Le-Figaro-M6-Paris Première”.

The Minister of Ecological Transition notably defended the contested “pause” of the Écophyto plan, which outlined the trajectory for reducing pesticides in France by 2030. “It was not said that we were stopping it, but that we were putting it on hold until the Agricultural Show,” he recalled, three days after Gabriel Attal’s announcements. The government is thus leaving itself three weeks to carry out “collective educational work” to review the tools that will be deployed this year. “What farmers tell us is that there are rules that apply in France, but not sometimes among our neighbors. They apply even less to people who are already doing social dumping, and now environmental dumping,” explained the number two at Horizons.

Reason why the minister wants to act “more like a European” with “common indicators” on the “degrees” and “quantities” of pesticides. A European rebalancing which could nevertheless push France to lower its own requirements in this area. Way to avoid the overtransposition of standards, denounced in the processions by farmers. “There is no question that there will be a decline that threatens health or biodiversity,” said Christophe Béchu, who “simply wants to put an end to hypocrisy”.

The Minister of Ecological Transition also reaffirmed his opposition to Mercosur, which must be “more than a break”. From the start of the agricultural crisis, Emmanuel Macron had promised to oppose the French veto to the ratification of this trade agreement with several South American countries, negotiations for which began more than twenty years ago. “This would have harmful consequences not only for our agriculture but for the planet, because it would contribute to accelerating deforestation in the Amazon or elsewhere,” argued Christophe Béchu, recalling that “none of his climate or environmental objectives were implemented. work” at the time of the start of negotiations.

According to him, the Twenty-Seven are facing an “exercise in truth and sincerity” so that “the Europeans show that, when they decide on the rules that apply here, they apply to those who want to sell here”. And to illustrate: “40% of what we eat, we import. If we already banned imports of products that are banned in Europe, we would make giant strides.” This close friend of Édouard Philippe even wants to go further and “condition” any free trade treaty in the future “on both climate perspectives and reciprocity rules”.