Authorization of glyphosate: Béchu would have preferred “a vote against rather than an abstention” from France

2023-11-17 14:09:40

“We were opposed to this decision. » After the extension for 10 years of the authorization of glyphosate by the European Commission, the Minister of Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu affirmed Friday that he would have preferred “a vote against rather than an abstention” from France, which nevertheless chose not to comment on Thursday in Brussels.

“Personally, I would obviously have preferred that, since we were opposed to this decision, it took the form of a vote against rather than an abstention,” declared Christophe Béchu on France Inter. He described the Commission’s position of reauthorizing “all uses for 10 years without limits” as “crazy”. Glyphosate is in fact singled out for its potential serious effects on health, but data is still lacking on this subject according to certain decision-makers.

.@ChristopheBechu : “Personally, I would have preferred that our position [sur le prolongement de l’autorisation du glyphosate] take the form of a vote against rather than an abstention. The position of authorizing all uses for 10 years is crazy.” #le69Inter pic.twitter.com/X7vXMXTOpd

— France Inter (@franceinter) November 17, 2023

Several organizations, supporters or opponents of glyphosate, criticized France on Thursday for its “lack of courage” for having abstained during the vote in Brussels. Faithful to the precept tirelessly repeated by the Minister of Agriculture for several months, “no ban without a solution”, the government did not in fact vote against the Commission’s proposal. France, however, has proposed restrictions on the use of the herbicide. The Commission not having accepted them, the government also did not wish to vote in favor of the authorization as proposed by the Commission.

“An alternative position to the European position”

The minister explained that France had “tried to find an alternative position to the European position (…) with a certain number of countries”. “Seventeen voted in favor of the position of the commission and we, including for diplomatic reasons, voted like the Germans (…) to ensure that we continue to find allies on this subject,” said – he justified it, adding “that an abstention is worth voting against”. France’s vote alone would not have been enough to tip the scales in any case.

“This vote will not change anything for us, France will continue to ban the use of glyphosate and restrict its use,” said the Minister of Ecological Transition. “We have banned all uses for individuals, for local communities and we are working with the agricultural profession to little by little (…) limit or prohibit the use of this product,” he added.