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French Ecology Minister Monique Barbut to resign over pesticide bill
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Monique Barbut, France's Minister for Ecological Transition, will tender her resignation before Wednesday's cabinet meeting, her entourage announced on July 21, 2026. The resignation follows Parliament's final adoption of an emergency agricultural bill that allows the derogatory and conditional reintroduction of two pesticides banned in France, including acetamiprid. Barbut stated she had no other option but to resign, saying 'Either you are a minister, or you are not a minister.' She was received by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu but left without comment. The bill, which reintroduces certain EU-authorized pesticides previously banned in France, has caused deep divisions in the National Assembly. Barbut had publicly opposed the measure, particularly the reintroduction of acetamiprid.
Source report
PARIS — Monique Barbut, France's Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, and International Climate and Nature Negotiations, will submit her resignation before Wednesday's Council of Ministers, her entourage announced to Le Monde on Tuesday, July 21.
The decision follows Parliament's final adoption of a controversial measure on pesticides that she opposed.
Minister's Statement
"In my mind, I have no other option but to tender my resignation. Either you are a minister, or you are not a minister. Today, in my mind, I am leaving tomorrow," Barbut said in a small group after the vote on the agricultural emergency law.
The legislation includes a derogatory reintroduction of certain pesticides authorized in the European Union but banned in France.
Key Issue: Acetamiprid
Barbut was received late in the morning by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and left Matignon without making any statement.
"The main issue that is still causing tension today is acetamiprid. For my part, I am opposed to the reintroduction of this pesticide in France," she said on Saturday to La Tribune Dimanche.
More information to follow
Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers: The agricultural emergency bill adopted in chaos by a National Assembly fractured on the pesticide issue
Source
Politique : Toute l’actualité sur Le Monde.fr.Western
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French Ecology Minister Resigns Over Pesticide Reintroduction Bill