Pesticides, illustration -

Matias Delacroix / AP / SIPA

The new compensation fund for victims of occupational diseases linked to pesticides, which aims in particular to better compensate farmers, has entered into force, under the terms of a government decree.

This text, published on Friday in the Official Journal and entered into force the following day, sets the compensation system and the operating conditions of this fund, the creation of which was voted in the framework of the 2020 Social Security budget.

The new system notably extends compensation to professional victims not covered until then, such as self-employed farmers who retired before 2002 or children exposed during the prenatal period "due to the professional activity of one of the their parents "

Solidarity of the nation

It will concern "requests filed from January 1, 2020 or under investigation on that date," specifies the decree.

The expenditure (53 million euros by 2022) will be financed in particular by a gradual increase in the tax on the sales of pesticides and by contributions for work accidents and occupational diseases.

Before the vote on the creation of the device, the Social Affairs Committee of the Assembly considered that it was justified by national solidarity towards the victims, but also by the responsibility of the State which issued and maintained authorizations for marketing of pesticides.

Victims without rights

"Although it does not live up to expectations, this compensation fund should allow better support for victims of pesticides", commented the Phyto-victims association which regrets in particular that it "does not give full reparation for the damage suffered by victims, nor any improvement in compensation for employees ”.

In a press release on Monday, the Ministry of Agriculture stressed that a single committee for the recognition of occupational diseases was created in the wake and also announced the opening of a dedicated website to provide information to the public.

The victims indeed experience great difficulty in having their rights recognized, even if at least seven types of occupational diseases linked to the use of phytosanitary products are in theory recognized by the Mutualité sociale agricole to date.

The oldest recognition dates from 1955 for digestive and psychological disorders or optical neuritis linked to the use of carbon disulphide.

The two most recent recognitions date respectively from 2012 and 2015, respectively for Parkinson's disease and for certain blood cancers (non-Hodgkidian lymphoma, chronic lymphoid leukemia and multiple myeloma).

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  • Pesticides

  • Agriculture

  • Compensation