On 1 July 2022, France extended its 2019 restriction of "plant-protection chemicals" to a wider range of environments including private gardens, hotels, campsites, theme parks, healthcare establishments, sports facilities, and cemeteries. This follows 3 years of herbicide-free management of French streets as shown in these photos of flourishing pavement plants in the city of Bordeaux. Wonderful for biodiversity, visual aesthetics (unless you belong to the 'neat-and-tidy-AKA-poisoned' brigade who no doubt will be very upset), human wellbeing & health. Note however that despite claims in the English media that ALL urban pesticides have been been banned, this refers only to plant protection chemicals ("produits phytosanitaires" in French). It does NOT cover the wide range of household pesticides (principally insecticides) that continue to be permitted in France (and elsewhere) for the treatment of ants, moths, flies, cockroaches, mosquitos, spiders etc inside and around buildings, & on patios/terraces/driveways etc. It only covers chemicals directly applied to plants. However it's a great first step and Britain needs to follow suit urgently as a crucial step to tackling the catastrophic decline in nature and biodiversity and the related planetary and ecological public health emergencies. Details (with the correct terminology) in French & English: https://www.service-public.fr/partic.../actualites/A15788...
Summary in English, with the misleading term 'pesticides' instead of plant protection chemicals. https://www.connexionfrance.com/.../France-bans-pesticide...
Many thanks to our fellow pavement plant fans in Bordeaux for the photos!
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