Pesticide's Potential Resurgence in French Agriculture: Impending Decision Ahead?
France Proposes Reintroduction of Controversial Pesticide Acetamiprid in Agriculture
A controversial pesticide, acetamiprid, from the neonicotinoids family, may receive approval for use in French agriculture under a newly proposed law. The pesticide, currently the only one of its kind authorized in Europe, has been at the center of debate due to its impact on pollinators.
Critics of the ban argue that the molecule should not have been banned in the first place, as reported by Marc Fesneau, president of the Democrats group, on TF1 on May 26th. However, concerns about the pesticide's potential danger to human health and the environment persist.
Acetamiprid is widely used to protect crops such as hazelnuts and beets throughout Europe. Although it is considered less toxic than other neonicotinoids, it has been associated with negative effects on pollinator reproduction, according to a study published in December 2023. However, the pesticide's impact reaches beyond this, as evidenced by a number of research studies.
New scientific evidence shows that acetamiprid poses a risk to developmental neurotoxicity, potentially affecting the neuronal development of fetuses, increasing concern about its effect on human fetal brain development. Furthermore, acetamiprid residues are frequently found in food, and its use as a biocide can lead to close contact with humans, particularly vulnerable populations like children.
Acetamiprid is also highly toxic to birds, contributing to ecological risks beyond insect populations. Exposure to the pesticide in fish has been linked to significant health issues, including muscle damage, liver and kidney stress or damage, oxidative stress, immune suppression, inflammation, and altered serum markers.
Additionally, acetamiprid has a high potential for bioaccumulation, meaning it can build up in organisms and potentially transfer through food chains, amplifying ecological and human health concerns.
These findings suggest that acetamiprid's impact extends well beyond the limited scope of its effect on pollinator reproduction, raising questions about its safety and potential risks to human neurological development, bird populations, aquatic life health, and broader ecological systems.
Sources:
- Impacts of neonicotinoids on biodiversity: a critical review, Mamy, L., Pesce, S., Sanchez, W. et al., December 2023
- American Bird Conservancy, Neonicotinoid insecticides, June 2023
- LC-ESI/MS/MS analysis of neonicotinoids in urine of very low birth weight infants at birth, July 2019
- Efsa, Statement on the toxicological properties and maximum residue levels of acetamiprid and its metabolites, May 2024
- Relationship between Urinary N-Desmethyl-Acetamiprid and Typical Symptoms including Neurological Findings: A Prevalence Case-Control Study, November 2015
- University of Hertfordshire AERU report, 2025-05-12
- PAN Europe and Générations Futures press release, 2025-05-21
- OEHHA Risk Characterization, 2025-05-05
- Beyond Pesticides article on fish health, 2025-05-08
The reintroduction of acetamiprid in French agriculture, a pesticide known to pose risks, creates concern within the realms of health-and-wellness and environmental-science, as new evidence suggests potential impacts on human neurological development, bird populations, and aquatic life health, surpassing its initial presumed limits on pollinator reproduction. Despite its use as a crop protector, studies have identified residues of acetamiprid in food and its high potential for bioaccumulation, amplifying ecological and human health concerns.
