Pesticides: Marseille court convicts farmers of trafficking in banned products

"Générations Futures welcomes the significant sentences handed down by the Marseille Criminal Court, which sends out a strong signal against impunity in the fraudulent use of pesticides", declared the association on 07/04/2026, which was a civil party in a case involving the illegal import and use of plant protection products banned in France.

This case involved "13 defendants - individuals and agricultural companies - operating mainly in the Bouches-du-Rhône and Drôme regions".

As the LPO (League for the Protection of Birds), also a civil party, points out, between 2018 and 2024, "a structured network organised the importation from Spain of plant protection products banned in France, and then their use on several farms".

"The investigation uncovered practices designed to circumvent the regulations, in particular by concealing the true nature of the products and introducing them illegally in France. Some products, whose composition did not correspond to the labelling, presented proven risks to human health and biodiversity", continues the LPO.

"At the end of the three-day hearing held…