France bans pesticides near schools, hospitals
The French parliament has passed a new law banning the use of pesticides near schools and parks, retirement homes and hospitals.
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Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll said the new rules were necessary “for vulnerable members of society”
The law also includes restrictions on the use of pesticide on crops. Research publishcd this week in Nature magazine has identified neonicotinoid insecticides, the most widely-used in the world, as the key factor in the recent drop in the numbers of farmland birds.
These pesticides are also thought to harm bees.
Parliament also agreed stricter rules on the use of antibiotics in animals.
And the list of alcoholic drinks which are officially recognised as part of France’s heritage is to be lengthened to include ciders, made from apples or pears.
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