Duplomb Law: Farmers' Unions Oppose Deregulation at the Risk of Health and the Environment

The signs were installed throughout Savoie and Haute-Savoie, as a nod to the waves of mobilization of the last two years. "We don't want pesticides. It's clearer that way," read 70 signs returned to the entrances to towns this weekend. Produced by the Confédération paysanne (the Peasant Confederation), the slogan criticizes the proposed law aimed at removing restrictions on farming , drafted by LR senator Laurent Duplomb.

Deprived of debate at the end of May in the National Assembly , the text will be examined this Monday, June 30, in a joint committee, and could well be adopted by this group of seven deputies and seven senators. A major risk, believes the farmers' union, which is calling for massive mobilization to block the completion of such a project.

"This law is more than ecocidal; it introduces measures that ruin the environment, our health, and our work tools. We must stop saying that the agricultural world is defending such a law; it will only benefit a handful of people and is far, very far from achieving unanimous support," denounces Thomas Gibert, spokesperson for the Confédération paysanne.

Throughout the country and throughout this weekend preceding the examination – possibly final – of the proposed law, the union, alongside numerous NGOs and environmental protection organizations, organized demonstrations, farmers' banquets and all kinds of initiatives to highlight the strong opposition to the text. In Tours, La Rochelle and Nancy, rallies took place, with the common theme being this slogan brandished on placards: "What you put in our fields kills our children" .

The Duplomb law, far from actually aiming to facilitate the work of producers, actually provides for the unraveling of environmental standards. It thus provides for the reintroduction of neonicotinoids, pesticides banned in France since 2018 and deemed to represent a real threat to biodiversity, particularly pollinators. If adopted as is, the text would also allow for the proliferation of mega-basins and facilitate the expansion of certain ICPE structures (installations classified for environmental protection), such as industrial animal production buildings.

"The law plans to raise certain thresholds for livestock buildings, even though they are already enormous today; they are set at 800 cattle per structure. In Limousin, which is nevertheless an important cattle breeding area, only three to five installations exceed this threshold. We can clearly see that the real objective of this proposed law is the advent of a new agricultural model made up of huge farms that monopolize land, resources and public aid," reacts Thomas Gibert.

The climax of the protest is planned for the Senate in Paris on Monday, June 30, at 11 a.m., when the joint committee will meet. Organizers hope this will put pressure on the elected officials who will have to debate the text .