French parliament passes emergency farm bill, minister quits

The French parliament has passed an emergency agriculture bill that opens the door for the temporary reintroduction of two pesticides banned in France, a move that prompted the country's Environment Minister to announce her resignation. The controversial legislation was definitively adopted on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, when the right-leaning Senate voted 214 to 111 in favor, following approval earlier in the day by the National Assembly.

Environment Minister Monique Barbut, who was personally opposed to the pesticide provision, announced her intention to resign after the Senate vote. In a statement to aides on Tuesday night, she said, "In my mind, I have no other option than to present my resignation," adding she planned to submit it to President Emmanuel Macron by early Wednesday.

The bill permits France's health and safety agency, ANSES, to grant exceptional, temporary, and conditional authorizations for the use of acetamiprid and flupyradifurone in specific agricultural sectors facing severe difficulties. Both substances are prohibited in France but are authorized for use elsewhere in the European Union. Acetamiprid has been banned since 2018, and flupyradifurone since the end...