Suggestion for a Unified Directive Across Member States Regarding Food Packaging Labels
Influence of the FNSEA on the Duplomb Law
France's main farming union, the Fédération Nationale des Syndicats d'Exploitants Agricoles (FNSEA), appears to hold substantial influence over the Duplomb Law, a bill aimed at easing restrictions on the agricultural sector. The legislation, sponsored by far-right MP Laurent Duplomb, targets simplifying administrative procedures for breeding facilities, lessening water usage regulations, and reintroducing acetamiprid, a neonicotinoid pesticide banned in France since 2018.
The FNSEA’s advocacy for these changes dates back years, and their impact on the bill's content is evident. More than a hundred amendments bearing the union’s name have been deposited in the National Assembly. FNSEA's Secretary-General Hervé Lapie emphasized the need to alleviate constraints on the farming profession, stating that the union has been pushing for such changes for two decades.
Critics, however, suggest that the FNSEA's involvement in the bill-making process might amount to bypassing regular legislative procedures. This observation is particularly relevant in the context of the possible use of Article 49.3, which allows for legislation to be passed without a full parliamentary vote.
[Sources: pesticides, livestock farming, exemptions: what does the bill to ease constraints in agriculture contain? (New window); Pesticides, intensive livestock farming, environmental regulation... What is the Duplomb bill, which has environmental protectors up in arms? (New window); Agriculture: major maneuvers in the National Assembly around the Duplomb bill (New window); Duplomb Law: an ecocidal text written by the FNSEA (New window); Senate-adopted bill, aimed at easing constraints on the agricultural profession, January 27, 2025 (New window); Law on Farming, JA/FNSEA, August 2024 (New window)]
Non-exhaustive list
- Despite concerns about bypassing regular legislative procedures, the FNSEA's influence in policy-and-legislation regarding the Duplomb Law is evident, as more than a hundred amendments related to the bill bear the union's name.
- General-news sources report that the Duplomb Law, sponsored by Laurent Duplomb, has been heavily influenced by the FNSEA's long-standing advocacy for easing restrictions on the agricultural sector, including measures that could impact the environment, such as changes to water usage regulations and the reintroduction of acetamiprid.
