An ill wind is blowing across the French state’s environmental and health protection agencies. They are increasingly being targeted, more or less violently – be it the Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), the Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), or the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB). These attacks are encouraged not only by certain political parties seeking to capitalize on farmers’ anger, but also sometimes by members of the government itself, thus betraying its powerlessness to respond to their despair.
The nature of these attacks is diverse. False information intended to discredit the actions or leadership of these agencies is proliferating on social media. The integrity of their public servants is undermined, sometimes with complete impunity. Meanwhile, reform proposals that challenge their independence from economic powers and their effectiveness do not shy away from using disingenuous or outright false arguments.
Emboldened by this political rhetoric, certain actions, that are increasingly common among agricultural movements, overstep acceptable boundaries far beyond what is justified by the right to protest or to challenge the regulations that complicate farmers’ work. A vocal minority is alleging an overzealousness of public agents, accusing them of excessive and intimidating inspections. While abuses may occur and should indeed be penalized, this conflictuality represents only a tiny fraction of these operators’ daily operations.
Deregulation calls out
Conversely, a dangerous spiral is forming. Elected officials and ministers allow themselves to adopt the exaggerations spread by some members of agricultural unions and generalize based on isolated cases. The intent is to discredit these agencies and thereby weaken the regulatory frameworks they are tasked with enforcing.
This drift is alarming because the rule of law cannot be applied selectively. It is appropriate to be outraged when police authority is undermined, and equally legitimate to defend that of agencies responsible for enforcing legislation debated and passed by Parliament. Fanning the flames to weaken legal authority, especially when it aims to protect the environment, is a perilous game that undermines the foundations of our democracy and only serves to weaken our institutions.
Additionally, the current trend of calling for unrestrained deregulation, inspired by developments in the US since Donald Trump’s election or in Argentina following Javier Milei’s election, should also cause concern. Proponents of “chainsaws” and widespread cuts to public spending say that reducing environmental regulation is a source of savings. That is as demagogic as it is counterproductive – in a word, dangerous. Necessary vigilance over the use of public funds should not turn into a witch hunt against those responsible for enforcing laws in a sector vital to the quality of life in France and the future of our country. Health and environmental safety incur costs, yet it is invaluable.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.