PARIS, France (Reuters) — France has delayed a target to halve pesticide use after plans to curb its deployment failed.
The country, which is the European Union’s biggest agricultural producer, had set a voluntary target of halving pesticide use in the decade to 2018 but it has in fact risen, partly because to adverse weather conditions.
Like the EU as a whole, France has sought to become less dependent on pesticides, which are blamed for posing health and environmental risks. For example, the EU has banned neonicotinoids, which are suspected of harming bees.
The French government has pushed back the timeline for halving pesticide use to 2025 and added an intermediate target of a 25 percent reduction by 2020, said agriculture minister Stephane Le Foll.
The targets remain non-binding on farmers, but Le Foll said his revamped plan would encourage a change in practices by expanding a network of pioneer farms experimenting with alternative techniques.
