More than a thousand doctors, scientists, and healthcare professionals have signed an open letter denouncing a proposed French law that could weaken the authority of the country’s independent health regulator and allow the return of long-banned pesticides.
Over 1,000 researchers, doctors, and healthcare professionals published an open letter on Monday addressed to France’s Ministers of Health, Agriculture, Labour, and the Environment — the four government bodies overseeing the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (Anses).
The letter, according to French public broadcaster France Inter, strongly criticises a proposed law by Senator Laurent Duplomb. The signatories warn that the bill could significantly weaken Anses’ authority and jeopardise public health by paving the way for the reintroduction of long-banned pesticides.
Supported by organisations such as Médecins du Monde and Alerte des Médecins sur les Pesticides, the letter is being circulated as lawmakers begin debating Duplomb’s bill.
The legislation, which is scheduled for review by the National Assembly on Tuesday, includes controversial measures such as the creation of an agricultural advisory board with powers to prioritise certain pesticides — even without safer alternatives.
Under the bill, the Agriculture Ministry could bypass Anses' evaluations, effectively sidelining the agency’s independent scientific oversight. This has raised alarm bells among public health experts.
Anses Director General Benoît Vallet warned during a parliamentary hearing on 25 March that he would resign if the law passes in its current form.
'Step backward for public health'
The signatories argue this represents "a fundamental threat to the role of scientific expertise in pesticide approval processes" and stress that since 2015, it has been Anses — not the Agriculture Ministry — charged with overseeing these assessments under strict ethical and scientific standards.
They say that establishing this new advisory body would be "a step backward for public health," particularly if it leads to the reintroduction of harmful substances such as neonicotinoids — insecticides banned in France since 2016 due to their devastating impact on bee populations and broader ecological risks.
“We oppose the creation of an agricultural advisory council that would strip Anses of part of its scientific oversight and responsibility,” the letter states.
The bill is expected to be debated at the end of May.
(with newswires)
