Pesticides: The NGO "Agir pour l'environnement" (Act for the Environment) attacks a decree governing the ANSES work schedule.

The NGO Agir pour l'environnement announced on Monday, July 21, an appeal to the Council of State against a ministerial decree allowing the timetable for the work of the French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) to be directed regarding the authorization of plant protection products.

The appeal, brought by the law firm of former Environment Minister Corinne Lepage, was filed Friday evening, the press release states. It denounces in particular "the violation of the precautionary principle, completely set aside for the benefit of farmers," and of the principle of prevention, as well as "the government's incompetence in taking a measure that could only be made through legislation."

This decree, published on July 10 in the Official Journal , "aims to clarify the procedures for processing requests for marketing authorizations for plant protection products by Anses, in order to strengthen information and harmonize the conditions for issuing crop protection products."

It provides that the Director General of ANSES "takes into account, in the timetable for examining applications for marketing authorization" , a decree from the Minister of Agriculture establishing "the list of uses" of pesticides intended to combat crop pests.

The appeal by Agir pour l'environnement also highlights "the deprivation of powers of the ministers of the environment and health since they do not have to intervene in the establishment of the list, even though the decree is based on a legislative provision of the public health code and Anses is under the triple supervision of the three ministers" .

The possibility for the government to impose "priorities" in the work of ANSES was initially part of the Duplomb bill, before being removed from the text in the face of protests from elected officials, NGOs and scientists denouncing an attack on the agency's independence.

Adopted two days after the adoption of this law, the decree immediately came under virulent criticism, from NGOs and socialist deputies, castigating an "unacceptable passage by force" . "We must leave ANSES alone now and preserve its independence" , also reacted the rapporteur of the law, the deputy Julien Dive (Aisne, Les Républicains), questioned by the website Contexte . Like Agir pour l'environnement, the association Générations futures said on Monday that it intended to file an appeal, currently being prepared, against this decree.