France presses lawmakers to fast-track farm bill

France’s government is pressing lawmakers to move quickly on an agricultural emergency bill that would tighten rules on imports, ease some environmental procedures for livestock buildings and water storage, and add penalties for theft and damage on farms, even as the package faces sharp divisions over pesticides and European law.

In a letter sent to farmers and made public on Thursday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu urged members of Parliament to do “serious compromise work” and adopt the bill “rapidly,” warning against letting the most contentious issues derail the broader effort. The appeal came after the National Assembly’s economic affairs committee approved the draft law on Wednesday, setting up a tense debate when it reaches the chamber on May 19 before moving to the Senate.

The bill is the government’s response to renewed anger in the farming sector, which flared again last winter over costs, competition from imports and what farmers see as burdensome rules. Lecornu said he did not want “the whole set of urgent measures” held hostage by disputes over a few controversial points. He suggested that some of those issues could be handled later in separate bills introduced by lawmakers.

That approach immediately drew criticism from several deputies. Julien Dive, a rapporteur for the center-right Republicans, said publicly that the prime minister had no business telling parliamentarians how to do their legislative work. He argued that if the government wanted to address unfair competition tied to pesticides, it should have included that issue in the original draft. Hélène Laporte of the far-right National Rally also complained that one of her amendments seeking to restore acetamiprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide, was ruled inadmissible. She accused the government of trying to discourage such amendments.

The pesticide issue is among the most sensitive parts of the bill. In its original form, the text would allow the government to block imports of food products containing residues of pesticides banned in the European Union, with the stated goal of fighting unfair competition. But committee amendments backed by National Rally, France Unbowed and the Greens removed a condition that would have limited such bans to cases posing a “serious risk” to human or animal health. Dive warned that this change could make the article unenforceable under European law.

The bill also gives the government authority by ordinance to create a special environmental authorization regime for livestock buildings. The aim is to raise the threshold at which farms must go through a lengthy approval process. Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard has defended that measure as a way to reduce administrative delays. Left-wing lawmakers say it would favor intensive livestock production at the expense of environmental protections.

Water storage is another major point of contention. A committee reviewing that part of the bill last week approved removing the requirement for a public meeting before environmental authorization can be granted for water storage projects, making such projects easier to carry out. Two other provisions that alarmed environmental groups were deleted in committee: one dealing with wetlands and another involving water catchment areas. Both could still return during debate in the full chamber.

The draft law also includes criminal provisions aimed at farm thefts and vandalism. It would create an aggravating circumstance for thefts committed on agricultural properties, including fuel and machinery, and an amendment expanded that aggravating factor to cover damage as well. The text further seeks to curb abusive legal challenges against agricultural projects by allowing project developers who are sued to seek damages.

Lawmakers spent long hours in committee on another article intended to improve food quality in collective catering, including school and workplace cafeterias. That provision would ban purchases from outside the European Union unless products are unavailable within it. Deputies approved identical amendments from both the governing coalition and the far right that would also take into account the origin of a processed product’s main ingredient when it is made in the EU, despite reservations from Dive about compatibility with European rules.

Lecornu closed his letter by saying his government’s line remained unchanged: provide concrete answers, restore clear rules and give farmers visibility. Whether parliament will accept that approach will become clear when debate opens in mid-May.