Earlier this year, when France voted to not extend glyphosate’s EU license for 18 months, the decision was personal for President François Hollande, says Politico EU. Hollande essentially had to choose between siding with his best friend in government, Agriculture Minister Stéphane Le Foll, and the mother of his four children, Energy and Environment Minister Ségolène Royal.
Le Foll has long held that glyphosate is a vital tool for the country’s commercial farmers. Royal, on the other hand, is staunchly opposed to pesticides because of their effects on pollinators, as well as humans.
The fight between Le Foll and Royal began with neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides that is considered a culprit in declining bee populations. When Le Foll wrote France’s Parliament, saying that a “brutal ban” of neonicotinoids would put French farmers at a disadvantage compared to other European growers, Royal tweeted back, “One in 10 women are affected by breast cancer and we are still doing nothing against pesticides of which France is the biggest consumer!” France ultimately approved a ban.
But a popular TV show may have had a bigger effect than any Twitter drama in turning public opinion against Le Foll and the farmers he represents. The show, “Crash Investigations,” highlighted pesticide exposure in farmworkers and children. “One scene in particular — in which a laboratory test on a sample of a child’s hair from the eastern Gironde region in France reveals traces of 44 pesticides — became etched in the minds of many viewers,” says Politico.
In June, when France voted on whether to extend glyphosate’s license, Royal and Le Foll took their expected stances. It was up to Hollande to break the tie and decide for the country. He chose to side with his former wife, and France joined Malta in being the only two countries to oppose the extension. Six other countries, including Germany, abstained, making it impossible for the EU to come up with a majority vote. Ultimately, though, the EU decided to grant the extension, based on a study by the European Chemicals Agency .
If a ban on glyphosate ever does come to pass, French farmers say they’ll be forced to use chemicals that are even more dangerous and remain in the soil longer. If nothing else, most of the country’s farmers certainly aren’t voting for Hollande, who is now banking on the green vote to keep him in office.