Overview

• Petition surpasses 1.5 million signatures, marking the highest support on the National Assembly site and triggering a scheduled parliamentary debate under French rules.
• The Duplomb law, adopted July 8, reauthorises the neonicotinoid pesticide acetamiprid and relaxes regulations on livestock facilities and irrigation.
• Government spokespeople pledge to heed public concerns but reaffirm the law’s aim of aligning French agricultural rules with European Union standards.
• Opponents—including beekeepers, environmental groups and medical experts—warn that acetamiprid poses risks to pollinators, ecosystems and human health.
• The scheduled debate gives MPs a platform to discuss the petition’s demands, but under French rules citizen signatures alone cannot reverse or amend the adopted legislation.