Bordeaux (AFP)

Gironde, Marne and Loiret are the departments with the largest users of pesticides in France, and Charente-Maritime for glyphosate in particular, according to a classification established, on the basis of "global" purchases of phytosanitary products, by the association environmental Future generations.

In its dossier, which is based on official annual data (declarative) of purchases of phytosanitary active substances for the year 2019, Générations futures produces a map of pesticide purchases by department and by product category, also awarding of the "Glyph'Awards", for the heaviest users of glyphosate, the controversial most widely used herbicide in the world.

Gironde and Marne, eminently wine-growing departments, are the first departments to "buy" pesticides in all categories, in terms of tonnage, with 3 and 2.8 tons respectively, depending on the classification.

And first of all the total sulfur, which enters the wine-making process (antibacterial, antiseptic), and is an authorized natural pesticide.

Sulfur (11.6 tonnes) was the most purchased national pesticide in 2019, ahead of glyphosate (5.9 t) and the herbicide prosulfocarb (3.9 t).

For its part, Charente-Maritime is awarded a gold "Glyph'Award" for its purchases of glyphosate --241,000 kilos -, followed by the Gironde --185,000 kilos - and the Marne --184,000 kilos .

By highlighting the departments "addicted to this pesticide", Future generations says it wants to "encourage the farmers of these departments to never receive this distinction again or to eliminate their use of glyphosate".

Future generations takes care to specify a "limit" to its file: it aims to be "a global presentation of the quantities of pesticides purchased in France", and therefore makes "no distinction between the various toxicities" (CMR [carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic for reproduction], endocrine disruptors or low risk pesticides).

"New maps based on the toxicological profiles of substances" are in the pipeline, specifies the association.

The phytosanitary industries union (UIPP, 96% of the market) denounced Thursday this "lack of distinction between products usable in organic farming and conventional products".

The UIPP recalls that sales of biocontrol products, using natural mechanisms, “are increasing strongly” (from 15% of tonnages sold in 2018 to 21.6% in 2019) to the detriment of pesticides.

According to government figures published in 2020, sales of plant protection products, after a sharp increase in 2018 (+ 18%), fell sharply in France in 2019, by -44% in volume, in particular that of glyphosate (-35%) .

A global trend that Future Generations does not recall in its ranking published on Thursday.

© 2021 AFP