French Rapeseed Farmers Losing War on Bugs After Pesticide Ban
- France’s rapeseed plantings fell to a 14-year low for 2019
- Farmers will try to add other rotation crops, Vivescia says
Rapeseed, northwestern France.
Photographer: Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images
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French farmers are getting so tired of beetles chomping on their rapeseed that some of them may decide to further shy away from the crop.
On top of last year’s drought that curbed French plantings to a 14-year low, bug attacks have become harder to fight amid a ban on certain pesticides. The situation has become so bad that 35% to 40% of this year’s crop will be lost in the Burgundy region in east-central France, said Francois Farges, deputy director at Cerevia, a union of cooperatives.