Louise Sallé, edited by Juline Garnier 06:11, May 06, 2022

About fifty scientists from Inrae and Ifremer have been working for two years to assess the impact of pesticides on biodiversity throughout France.

Released Thursday evening, it demonstrates that despite a decline in the use of the most dangerous products, all environments are now contaminated, with indirect consequences for animals.

From the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea to the smallest tributary of the Vienne, from the Normandy coast to the Mont-Blanc glacier, pesticides are everywhere.

They initially only target insects, but eventually contaminate the entire food chain.

This is the result of two years of study by the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (Inrae) and the French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea ( Ifremer) for the Ministry of Ecological Transition.

All environments are contaminated, with indirect consequences on animals, although far from the most affected areas.

"We are discovering more and more effects on species far removed from insects, such as birds. We have talked about the disturbance of the orientation faculties of birds which are also found on bees, difficulties in returning to the hive , for example, and indirect effects on the food resource for birds. And therefore a decline in bird populations, as a result of these effects", explains researcher Sophie Leenhardt, who coordinated the study.

With each new study, new consequences are discovered

All this threatens 10-15% of birds with extinction.

Frogs have difficulty reproducing.

And on the sea side, it is even the immune system of dolphins and oysters that is weakened.

Scientists regret that the regulations ignore these research findings.

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"Each new research work gives us an overview of contaminations that we had not anticipated before. These are elements poorly covered by regulatory assessments," says the researcher.

By the fall, another study will be published on agricultural solutions to do without pesticides.