Paris (AFP)
The government will take into account the public consultation on minimum distances between homes and pesticide application areas, said Tuesday Élisabeth Borne on the last day of this exercise that collected more than 50,000 opinions.
"We will analyze all these contributions by the end of October and of course, we will take into account for the final texts," said the Minister of Ecological Transition in the National Assembly.
A summary of the comments will be published by the end of October, had previously indicated the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
The government had launched in early September this consultation on a draft order deemed minimalist by ecologists, which provides to set at five or 10 meters, depending on crops, the minimum distance between homes and spraying areas chemical crop protection products.
The consultation which ended on Tuesday at 8:00 pm has collected more than 50,000 comments, an unusual figure. "This shows the interest that the French have in this regard," commented Ms. Borne.
The law provides for public consultation prior to government decisions that affect the environment, but the texts often give rise to only a few dozen or hundreds of comments, with the exception of certain rules related to hunting.
The new regulatory texts will then be taken on an unspecified date before 1 January 2020, when the new device will come into force.
"The commitment that has been made will be made: the texts will be published before 1 January 2020, to find the best way (...) to respect the activity of farmers - the best way is also to reduce the use of synthetic phytosanitary products--, and at the same time ensure the protection expected by our fellow citizens, "added the Minister.
The project is denounced by environmentalists who consider protective measures too weak and by dozens of mayors of rural or urban municipalities who have taken anti-pesticide orders challenged by the state. They had called to submerge the website of the public consultation launched in early September.
The mayor of Langouët (Ile-et-Vilaine) Daniel Cueff was the pioneer in this campaign, taking in May a high-profile order prohibiting the use of plant protection products "at a distance of less than 150 meters" from any building used by home or professional arrested by the administrative court of Rennes.
Following his example, mayors of rural communes have adopted similar orders and mayors of major cities such as Paris, Lille or Nantes have banned the use of pesticides on their territory.
© 2019 AFP