French health experts speak out against bee-killing pesticide

Farmers during a protest against the Duplomb agricultural bill, which aims to "remove constraints on the exercise" of their profession, particularly by easing access to pesticides" in Pau, south-western France, on June 28, 2025. [AFP]

French health experts and patient associations on Tuesday urged authorities to protect the public from a bee-killing pesticide, saying the chemical could also harm children and adults.

The legislation to reintroduce in France acetamiprid, a pesticide that is harmful to ecosystems but popular with many farmers in Europe, was adopted on July 8, but without a proper debate to bypass gridlock in a divided parliament.