(Europa.eu)

French MNAs take EU-Canada trade deal to court

Paris | Reuters — More than 100 French left-wing lawmakers decided Tuesday to appeal to the country’s Constitutional Council to block a contentious free trade deal between the European Union and Canada. Supporters of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) say it will boost economic growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. […] Read more

(LaCooperationAgricole.coop)

InVivo pursues co-op alliances to vie with grain, chemical giants

Paris | Reuters — France’s InVivo wants to expand international partnerships with other co-operatives, including in joint buying of crop supplies and shipping fixtures, as it tries to compete with global grain trading and chemical firms, its CEO said on Wednesday. InVivo, a grouping of 220 agricultural co-operatives and one of the largest exporters of […] Read more

(GreenPalm.org)

France’s Senate suspends palm oil tax, delays neonic ban

Paris | Reuters — The French Senate on Thursday adopted a revised version of its biodiversity bill in which senators scrapped an additional tax on palm oil and delayed until 2020 a ban on pesticides blamed for harming bees. The decisions are not final as the two houses of the French parliament now have to […] Read more

(Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

France set to ban dimethoate-treated cherries

Paris | Reuters — France will stop importing cherries from countries that use insecticide dimethoate after banning the chemical due to concerns over consumer health risks, the French agriculture ministry said. At a meeting of European Union country representatives on Friday, Italy and Spain said they would also withdraw dimethoate from their markets, but France […] Read more

(CanolaCouncil.org)

EU food safety experts warn on crop insecticide

Brussels | Reuters –– Dimethoate, an insecticide widely used to protect crops such as cherries, could be harmful to humans, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which advises EU policymakers, said Tuesday. The report follows a request from France, which is calling for a Europe-wide ban of the substance made by companies including BASF and […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

France to ban some glyphosates over surfactant

Paris | Reuters –– France’s health and safety agency is poised to ban herbicides that combine chemicals glyphosate and tallowamine, citing concerns over possible health risks, it said Friday. The ANSES agency sent a letter this week to manufacturers informing them that it intends to withdraw the authorization for such products, Francoise Weber, the ANSES […] Read more

A Western blot analysis, used to confirm BSE in bovine brain tissue. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

France confirms new BSE case

Paris | Reuters –– France’s agriculture ministry confirmed Thursday a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) had been discovered in the northeastern region of Ardennes. The suspected case, found in a five-year-old cow, was identified last week during a test carried out on cattle older than 48 months after slaughter. The farm ministry said there […] Read more

(Photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

France moves toward all-out ban on neonics

Paris | Reuters — French lawmakers approved plans for a total ban on some widely used pesticides blamed for harming bees, going beyond European Union restrictions in a fierce debate that has pitched farmers and chemical firms against beekeepers and green groups. The EU limited the use of neonicotinoid chemicals, produced by companies including Bayer […] Read more



(Monsanto.com)

France bolsters ban on genetically modified crops

Paris | Reuters — France is to use a new European opt-out scheme to ensure a ban on the cultivation of genetically modified crops in the country remains in place, it said on Thursday. The European Union’s largest grain grower and exporter has asked the European Commission for France to be excluded from some GM […] Read more