What has it taken to unite France's divided voters? A hated, toxic chemical | Alexander Hurst

A student-led petition against a bill that would reintroduce a banned insecticide is spreading like wildfire. Will the government listen?A million petition signatures in 10 days? That should tell a government something: that a huge number of citizens aren’t happy with what it has just done, but also that they still believe in their democracy and its ability to course-correct.In response to pressure from farmers’ unions and the agricultural lobby, on 8 July, the French legislature passed a bill named the loi Duplomb, which contained numerous measures to boost large-scale industrial agriculture – among them, the reauthorisation of a previously banned insecticide, acetamiprid. Beet farmers in particular say they have no alternative to fighting pests. However, there is a growing scientific consensus around acetamiprid (enough, it should be pointed out, for use of the substance to have been banned in France since 2018): it is linked to highly negative effects on bee populations, and, according to the European Food Safety Authority, may adversely impact learning and memory in humans. Studies also show that the whole class of chemicals to which acetamiprid belongs, neonicotinoids, could cause birth defects and reduce male fertility.Alexander Hurst is a Guardian Europe columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

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