FRANCE – ANSES: Update of the Note on French Provisions Concerning the Protection of Bees
25 April 2025
On April 23, 2025, the French National Assembly and Senate adopted Law No. 2025-365, aimed at improving the management of plant diseases through the use of remotely piloted aircraft.
With this legislation, France joins other European countries that allow drones to apply plant protection products, in line with EU regulations that authorize such use on a derogatory basis and under strict conditions.
The law outlines three specific scenarios under which drone application may be authorized:
- Emergency derogations in case of serious plant health threats
Temporary authorizations may be granted when there is a severe phytosanitary risk that cannot be contained by any other reasonable means. These derogations will be subject to a joint ministerial order from the ministries responsible for the environment, agriculture, and health.
- Approved programs using biocontrol products, products authorized in organic farming and/or low-risk products
These applications are limited to specific situations: sloped plots with a gradient of ≥ 20%, banana plantations, or rootstock parent vines production.
Such programs may be authorized when they demonstrate clear benefits for human health and the environment compared to ground-based applications. The conditions for such authorizations will be defined in a joint ministerial decree, following an assessment by ANSES and consultations with professional and union organizations.
- Supervised trials on other crops and plot types
These trials, which may last for up to three years, aim to assess the potential benefits of drone applications in terms of human health and environmental impact. The results will be evaluated by ANSES and presented to the Parliamentary Office for Scientific and Technological Assessment.
Before these trials can begin, a decree must establish the authorization criteria, implementation procedures, and requirements for data transmission to ANSES.
Following the trials, a ministerial order will identify crop types or plot conditions where drone application has shown clear advantages for human health and the environment, and programs of applications might be authorized.
While this law marks a major step forward, it is not, in itself, sufficient to allow the immediate use of drones for applying plant protection products in France. Additional regulatory texts are still required to implement its provisions.
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