French Environment Minister Resigns Over Pesticide Reversal, Macron Refuses

French Minister for Ecological Transition Monique Barbut announced on Wednesday (22 July) that she would “submit her resignation today” to President Emmanuel Macron in protest against a decision to re-authorise the use of pesticides that scientists consider dangerous to humans and bees. However, Macron did not accept her resignation, and Barbut will remain in her post due to “the urgent need to tackle the impacts of climate change,” according to a statement from her team cited by AFP news agency. Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon later confirmed that Barbut would continue in her role.

In a LinkedIn post, Barbut wrote that “contrary to commitments previously made to me, the government is blocking a debate on the repeal of this policy.” She added that there had been “one environmental setback too many” since her appointment in October. “The political world is not my world, and if this is how politics works, then it clearly never will be,” said the former head of WWF France and former executive secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Barbut’s statement came shortly after lawmakers approved a bill allowing the use of the pesticides acetamiprid and flupyradifurone, which have been banned in France since 2018 and 2019 respectively. Scientists say these chemicals are harmful to human health and can damage bee populations, which are essential for agriculture. Supporters of the bill argue that French sugar beet, apple, and hazelnut farmers need these pesticides to compete with farmers in other European Union countries. The substances are not banned across the entire EU, but some member states restrict their use.