A French Senate debate on the emergency agriculture bill will consider reintroducing pesticides previously banned in France, a move that has sparked intense dispute over environmental and health implications.

The central question is whether these banned pesticides will return to use, despite prior legal and policy setbacks, amid tensions over water management and farming needs.

As the Senate weighs the agricultural emergency law, lawmakers confront deep disagreements on pesticide reinstatement, water obligations, and how to balance farming interests with environmental safeguards.

The discussion extends to predator control for wolves, with proposals to ease defensive shooting authorizations provoking objections from the government.

The government plans amendments to remove several contentious additions, but a durable agreement hinges on a mid-July joint committee between the Senate and National Assembly to craft a common text.

Water management provisions are at issue, with the Senate seeking to strengthen environmental obligations for storage structures, drawing concern from environmentalists and some lawmakers.

The push to reintroduce pesticides builds on debates from summer 2025 surrounding the Duplomb law, which sparked major protests and a petition exceeding two million signatures.

Around 1,000 amendments have been filed, signaling lengthy debates over provisions including water management relaxations and wolf defense measures.

LR Senator Pierre Cuypers argues reinstating certain pesticides could be necessary for vulnerable sectors like sugar beet and hazelnuts, highlighting intra-coalition political divides.

Environmental groups and some politicians warn that reintroducing acetamiprid could threaten biodiversity and potentially human health.

Farmers and groups such as FNSEA press to move the bill forward this summer, but critics fear the acetamiprid issue could overshadow broader priorities like water storage.

A petition opposing acetamiprid has gathered about 2 million signatures, signaling public wind against reinstatement and signaling potential political shifts.