The French state has been ordered to overhaul its pesticide authorisation procedures. The ruling was handed down on Wednesday 3 September by the Paris Administrative Court of Appeal, which upheld a legal challenge brought by a group of environmental associations. In this respect it represents a landmark judgement, one that could potentially impose a paradigm shift in France.

"Biodiversity and health not sufficiently protected"

The legal action – named Justice pour le vivant ("Justice for living beings") – succeeded in establishing the principle that the procedures France has used until now are insufficient to guarantee the protection of biodiversity and human health.

Agence France-Presse ✓ @afpfr

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🇫🇷 L'État a été condamné mercredi à revoir ses procédures d'autorisation des pesticides, jugées par la cour administrative d'appel de Paris insuffisantes pour garantir le maintien de la biodiversité et la protection de la santé, dans l'affaire "Justice pour le vivant" ⤵️

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Pesticides have long been at the centre of political debate in the European nation. In 2020, the French National Assembly passed a bill allowing sugar beet farmers to reintroduce neonicotinoid pesticides by way of derogation, substances that had long been banned due to their proven harmful effects on bees. That same year, the government of the time had abandoned the glyphosate-zero objective, despite the promises made by President Emmanuel Macron.

The state given 24 months to review authorisations

Three years later, a study carried out in the Brittany region caused shock and alarm, as its findings showed that almost all of the area's water sources – rivers, ponds and groundwater – were contaminated with pesticides. Then in 2024, an investigation by a specialist consumer rights magazine found that pesticides were present in 80 per cent of bagged salads sold in supermarkets across the country.

It is partly for these reasons that Pollinis, one of the most active associations in the Justice pour le vivant case, described the outcome as a "historic result" and called on the government to comply with the judges' decisions. The court specifically ordered that "within a maximum period of 24 months" a "review of the marketing authorisations already granted" must be carried out. This, the court stated in no uncertain terms, was "in order to remedy the ecological damage resulting from the use of plant protection products". Furthermore, the state will be required to "carry out a risk assessment" of the pesticides "in light of the most recent scientific knowledge".

"Flaws in pesticide assessment methods"

Particular scrutiny falls on the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses), which is responsible for evaluating and authorising the sale of pesticides. The fact that all past authorisations are also being called into question means that the entire use of such products in France must now be reassessed.

PAN Europe @EuropePAN

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🧑‍⚖️🌿In a landmark decision, the Paris Court of Appeal has held the French State accountable for ecological harm resulting from outdated and inadequate #pesticide risk assessments.
pan-europe.info/press-releases…

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The ruling moreover merely confirms what was established at first instance in June 2023, when the government had been asked "to take all necessary measures to remedy the ecological damage caused". The Administrative Court of Appeal has now added that the state is also under an obligation to review the procedures themselves, in which "flaws in the assessment methods" have been identified.