French parliament to vote on agricultural law amid pesticide debate
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will convene a meeting at Matignon on Monday afternoon with ministers of agriculture (Annie Genevard) and ecological transition (Monique Barbut) and the leaders of the LR, MoDem, Horizons, Renaissance and Liot parliamentary groups. The session is intended to prepare for the scheduled vote on the agricultural emergency bill, which the Senate approved on Thursday.
The bill includes a controversial provision allowing a derogatory, time‑limited re‑introduction of two neonicotinoid pesticides – acétamipride and flupyradifurone – previously banned in France but permitted elsewhere in the EU. Several ministers and members of the governing coalition, notably Environment Minister Barbut, have said the pesticide clause is the main point of tension, with calls for an amendment to remove it. The legislation also doubles the target for multi‑use water storage capacity by 2025, a measure that sparked protests and debate over water governance.
The Senate will consider the text on Tuesday, while protests are planned in Paris ahead of the parliamentary vote.