"The French Hazelnut Producers' Association (ANPN) and the Unicoque cooperative are calling for action to put an end to the injustice and distortion of competition," which could lead to the disappearance of this small sector of 300 French producers. After the apple sector, it is now the turn of the hazelnut sector, which has been hard hit by pest attacks, to call for a favorable outcome to the vote on the law "lifting constraints on farming" (currently being examined by the National Assembly's Economic Affairs Committee). The focus is on Article 2 in particular, which allows for the introduction of a derogation for the use of acetamiprid. The French Fruit and Vegetable Protection Collective has also taken up the cause, issuing a press release earlier this week, calling on members of parliament to honor their commitments.
At the instigation of Senator Duplomb, the proposed law aimed at removing constraints on farming includes the reintroduction of a derogation for acetamiprid (a neonicotinoid), which has been banned in France since 2018 but is still authorized in Europe until 2033.
Distortions of competition
Although acetamiprid is authorized for use in mosquito sprays, dog flea collars, and as a fly repellent in cattle farms, it is banned for agricultural use in France. France is the only EU country to ban this molecule for agricultural use. "It is authorized and used by hazelnut growers all over the world, including Italy and Spain, but French hazelnut growers can no longer spray hazelnut orchards with an acetamiprid-based product. This injustice and distortion of competition have been going on for 4 years!"
"The hazelnut sector is at the mercy of pests, while France allows hazelnuts from countries with much lower environmental standards to enter without any controls, in particular Turkey and its use of 244 insecticide products, several dozen of which have been banned in Europe for more than 20 years."
"Decrease in yields and quality"
"The fight against the devil and balanin bugs will be non-existent from 2026 onwards, as no more molecules will have marketing authorization in France for hazelnut cultivation. The alternative solutions that have emerged thanks to the work of ANPN cannot be deployed on a large scale at present," according to the association and the cooperative. Acetamiprid would enable "the gradual transition to alternative methods through the release of parasitoid microhenoptera, a biocontrol method that the sector, with the help of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region and the French government, has been developing since 2015."
By 2024, attacks by devil and balanin bugs had taken their toll on hazelnut production. Almost 50% of the crop was destroyed. Out of a potential production of 13,000 tons, only 6,500 tons could be harvested. And of this harvest cut in half, 30% could not be marketed because they were "unfit for consumption." In February 2024, in conjunction with the International Agricultural Show in Paris, Unicoque and ANPN wrote to the French President, calling for the reintroduction of the insecticide.
The apple sector, for its part, is battling with the ash aphid on an unprecedented scale this year. Last month, ANPP announced that between 10 and 30% of the harvest would be lost.
"For a reasoned derogation, based on science"
"This molecule was banned for use in agricultural plant production by law, by the hand of politicians, not by science." The cooperative and the association also point out that "on May 15th, 2024, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) confirmed the authorization of acetamiprid throughout Europe until 2033, and that its French counterpart, Anses, never withdrew the marketing authorization for this molecule. The politicians are the ones who did so by law." They are therefore waiting for a favorable vote from MEPs, which would enable acetamiprid to obtain a derogation as provided for in Article 53 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009, to respond to an emergency situation in terms of plant health protection. "This derogation may be granted by the French Minister for Agriculture, who is responsible for this article. "All we are asking for is fair application of the regulatory conditions governing our production."
"A flood of fake news"
ANPN and Unicoque are denouncing a "flood of fake news from international environmentalist lobbies. For several days now, our members of parliament have been the target of thousands of emails aimed at influencing their decisions on the proposed law. Last week, a majority of MPs on the Sustainable Development Committee sent out a very bad signal to the farming community: they purely and simply deleted Article 2 of the proposed law, which provided for a derogation for the use of acetamiprid, even though the text that came out of the Senate had achieved a balanced solution on this point." Faced with this situation, the hazelnut sector is asking MEPs to "vote in favor of the provision in this bill that will harmonize plant health rules for sustainable hazelnut production in Europe. The same market, the same rules for food sovereignty, giving science the last word on the use of this molecule through the ANSES decision on approval in France."
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