In the face of the ZNTs, the profession lights up the bright lights

July 26, 2022 was the deadline for drafting the ZNT Administrative Commitment Pacts. The decree of January 25, 2022, in effect, mandates that people who live and work near outbreak areas be informed, prior to treatment. This commitment is the responsibility of the Ministerial Commitment Charters, which have so far defined technical means to reduce ZNT from 5 m to 3 m in low crops and from 10 m to 5 m or even 3 m in high crops, by Use certified anti-crawl devices. ” There are still some questions pending in some sections but for everything else, the charters are closed. », said Hervé Lapie, Deputy Secretary General of FNSEA and Head of Contract Solutions.

Rotating beacon as an alert

Problem: How do you send signals to people who are impossible to determine to initiate treatment with a highly situational determinism such as weather windows or crossing a parasitic threshold? ” We have applied the principle of keeping the rotating beacon running during the spraying sitescontinues Hervé Lappé. A rotating beacon is the most convenient warning instrument because it is visible to all and can be easily spotted. We excluded breaking boards or flags that did not adapt at all to the conditions of implementing treatments that require strong interaction in the face of climate, diseases and pests. The profession also promotes websites such as room sites to educate the public.

A beacon against the red cloth

It is not at all certain that the beacon will satisfy the NGOs behind the appeal to the State Council, as long as the means of informing the population and people near the spread areas is an “upstream” means of pesticide use. ” If NGOs choose to make ZNT a red flag to eliminate the use of phytosanitary products, we farmers have chosen to speak of truth towards our fellow citizens and consumers, reminding that France has some of the healthiest and most sustainable food in the world.Hervey Lappe argues. Protecting crops also means protecting citizens in these times of food insecurity, and we owe that to farmers’ training and good practices, backed by technology. These are the balances that fall under agronomy, science and innovation and are in no way ideological and dogmatic. “.

No compensation yet

The profession would have appreciated that the state refers itself to science, avoiding putting in place restrictive measures without even taking into account ongoing studies, such as the Acta study which aims to embody the real danger of drift through the use of the most advanced techniques. It formulates another complaint against the public authorities, namely the lack of compensation for losses caused by the failure to operate the ZNTs, but their management generates additional costs. ” Public authorities refer us to CAP procedures, which we categorically reject “The FNSEA is also fighting for urbanization to take responsibility for integrating ZNTs into future development projects, so that they don’t gobble up farmland.” Our food sovereignty also goes through this Hervé Lappé concludes.