The French court in Versailles ruled that "Good Neighbor" charters allow too little distance for pesticide spraying near homes. This decision marks a significant victory for environmental organizations and residents of agricultural areas. Our member, Générations Futures and six other NGOs, had filed appeals against these documents, which were drafted by agricultural chambers and unions.
The withdrawn charters are five from the Centre-Val de Loire region. However, the NGOs argue that the remaining 43 “pesticide” charters across France now should also be annulled, as they are essentially identical.
Despite the already minimal protective distances for pesticide spraying near homes, many of these “Good Neighbour” charters allow further reductions. For instance, distances could be shortened if farmers consider a dwelling infrequently occupied or if herbicides are applied to tall crops using boom sprayers.
In January 2024, a first administrative court in Orléans issued a favorable ruling against these charters. However, the French Ministry of Agriculture, joined by certain agricultural chambers, appealed the decision to prevent their annulment. On November 29, the Versailles Court affirmed the lower court’s ruling, siding with the NGOs. This is a firm decision and sets a positive precedent to protect citizens' from pesticide exposure.
Larger pesticides-free buffer zones in Belgium
The Flemish government has recently approved a new action plan to address pesticide use, introducing measures to enhance protections of rural citizens. The buffer zone around watercourses will be expanded from three to five meters. Similarly, protective zones around shelters, kindergartens, primary schools, and daycare centers will also increase to five meters, with green screens -trees and plants- installed where feasible. In cases where this is not possible, buffer zones will be extended to 10 meters. Farmers will receive compensation.
While this is a step in the right direction, it still falls short of the recommendations from scientific researches and environmental organizations, that call for much larger buffers.
EU guidelines for buffer zones: far from being enough
Pesticides often drift far beyond their intended application sites, affecting homes, children's playgrounds, sports fields, and nature reserves. Despite this, the European Commission's proposed a mere 3-meter buffer for sensitive areas—a distance that studies have repeatedly shown to be grossly insufficient.
Research in South Tyrol, Italy, revealed pesticide contamination in playgrounds situated in a major apple-growing region. Alarmingly, traces of pesticides were detected even in areas with buffer zones as wide as 30 meters.
European guidelines aimed at enabling public authorities to protect local residents from pesticide exposure fail to safeguard the most vulnerable populations and overlook many real-world situations.
PAN Europe advocates for a significant reduction in pesticide use and an urgent expansion of buffer zones to at least 50 meters to adequately protect public health. The issue of buffer zones is explored further in this article.
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