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The mayor of Langouet, Daniel Cueff (D), addresses the protesters on his arrival in front of the Administrative Court of Rennes, on August 22, 2019. Sebastien SALOM-GOMIS / AFP

The answer in the dispute between the French State and Daniel Cueff will be given next week. The mayor of the town of Langouët in Brittany had issued a by-law prohibiting pesticides in his commune. A decision deemed illegal by the prefecture of Ile-et-Vilaine who therefore challenged the initiative. The administrative court hearing took place on Thursday morning.

During the hearing, Daniel Cueff presented his case while many supporters gathered in court. The mayor said he wants to protect the 602 inhabitants of Langouët against molecules considered dangerous for health.

For example, Daniel Cueff relied on the work of the National Health Security Agency (ANSES), which confirms the endocrine disruptor character of many phytosanitary products.

The problem does not lie in the validity or not of this decree, but in a question of law. Can a mayor alone take such a prohibition? The answer is "no" for the prefecture and therefore the State which considers that this falls within the competence of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The administrative court has reserved its decision early next week. A decision that will be examined carefully. Twenty other communes in France have indeed made similar orders.

And the case takes a political turn as Daniel Cueff was applauded by the activists and leaders of Europe Ecology Greens (EELV) at their summer school.

Elisabeth Borne, Minister of Ecological Transition even split her comment deploring the method used by this mayor, but recognizing that the problem raised was relevant.

► See also: Pesticides: MEPs for more transparency in authorization procedures