“The break is not a step backwards”: the suspension of the Ecophyto 2030 plan is not a step backwards, believes Marc Fesneau

Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau. FREE NOON – M. ANISSET

The Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, declared on Sunday February 4 that the pause in the implementation of the Ecophyto 2030 plan, which aims to reduce the use of pesticides by 50% By 2030 compared to the period 2015-2017 in France, did not constitute a step backwards in terms of ecology.

"The break is not going backwards", declared Marc Fesneau on LCI , affirming that France is the country which has made the most progress in Europe on the issue of phytosanitary products.

🗣️ "Il n'y a pas de recul" sur l'écologie, assure @MFesneau, ministre de l'Agriculture, invité de @mchantrait dans "L'événement du dimanche LCI" ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/PTQDd3iIBt

— LCI (@LCI) February 4, 2024

"This is not a step backwards because in the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture, for example, there is 1.2 billion ;euros which are planned to reduce phytosanitary products, to plant hedges, to diversify proteins,” he added.

A decision criticized

The Minister of Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu, promised in an interview with the Tribune Dimanche that the Ecophyto plan would be reviewed " within three weekss", before the Agricultural Show which will take place at the end of February.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced on Thursday a "pause" in the implementation of the Ecophyto 2030 plan, which aims to reduce the use of pesticides by 50% by 2030 compared to the period 2015-2017 in France, raising criticism from defenders of ;#39;environment and part of the political class.

Marc Fesneau also pointed the finger at LCI "the race for the lowest price", particularly in the mass distribution, which threatens the food sovereignty put forward by the Prime Minister. On this issue, the minister called on everyone to "take their share of responsibility".