France's parliament has overwhelmingly approved a bill to curb exposure to cadmium, a toxic heavy metal found in phosphate fertilisers, setting up a political clash with the government and raising fresh questions about France's links to Moroccan phosphate imports.
Issued on: 04/06/2026 - RFI
A French MP holds a placard reading "cadmium, poison" during a protest ahead of a debate at the National Assembly of their bill, which aims at limiting exposure to cadmium in Paris on 2 June, 2026. AFP - SIMON WOHLFAHRT
The draft law, adopted on Wednesday in the National Assembly by 144 votes to 22, sets out a faster timetable to reduce permitted cadmium levels in fertilisers used in agriculture.
The measure passed despite government opposition, with ministers warning that the pace of reduction could harm the competitiveness of French farming.
"There is an overexposure of the French population to cadmium compared to our European neighbours," junior ecology minister Mathieu Lefèvre said. However, he argued that "the pace of reduction… is not realistic" and risks undermining "our food sovereignty".
Food is a major source of cadmium exposure, particularly staple foods such as wheat and rice, a report by France's health agency Anses found. Prolonged exposure is linked to cancer, kidney damage, reproductive toxicity and bone fragility.
In 2025, nearly half of the French population exceeded recommended safety thresholds.
The draft law, adopted on Wednesday in the National Assembly by 144 votes to 22, sets out a faster timetable to reduce permitted cadmium levels in fertilisers used in agriculture.
The measure passed despite government opposition, with ministers warning that the pace of reduction could harm the competitiveness of French farming.
"There is an overexposure of the French population to cadmium compared to our European neighbours," junior ecology minister Mathieu Lefèvre said. However, he argued that "the pace of reduction… is not realistic" and risks undermining "our food sovereignty".
Food is a major source of cadmium exposure, particularly staple foods such as wheat and rice, a report by France's health agency Anses found. Prolonged exposure is linked to cancer, kidney damage, reproductive toxicity and bone fragility.
In 2025, nearly half of the French population exceeded recommended safety thresholds.
Moroccan deposits
The parliamentary vote has turned attention to the origins of cadmium in French agriculture, chiefly phosphate fertilisers, much of which are derived from Moroccan deposits.
A report by French investigative website Mediapart published in April highlighted tensions around this supply chain and focused on a €350 million loan granted in 2025 by the French Development Agency (AFD) to Morocco's state-owned fertiliser giant OCP.
The loan, the largest non-sovereign financing in the agency's history, was intended to support OCP's decarbonisation, including renewable energy and desalination projects.
Organic fruit on sale at a market in Toulouse, southwestern France. Organic farming is at the centre of a growing row over cadmium contamination in food. AFP - CHARLY TRIBALLEAU
However, the deal has come under scrutiny following the Anses report. The agency said phosphate rock used in fertilisers sold in France "mainly comes from sedimentary deposits located in Morocco", which contain significant levels of cadmium.
Benoît Biteau, a Green MP and one of the authors of the bill, argued that this dependency has direct health implications. Cadmium exposure levels are "two to three times higher in France" than elsewhere, he told Mediapart, attributing this to "our dependence on phosphate fertilisers from Moroccan deposits".
The AFD has defended the loan, saying fertilisers exported by OCP to the European Union are now labelled "low cadmium", with levels below 20 milligrams per kilogram, under both EU regulatory limits and Anses recommendations.
However, the deal has come under scrutiny following the Anses report. The agency said phosphate rock used in fertilisers sold in France "mainly comes from sedimentary deposits located in Morocco", which contain significant levels of cadmium.
Benoît Biteau, a Green MP and one of the authors of the bill, argued that this dependency has direct health implications. Cadmium exposure levels are "two to three times higher in France" than elsewhere, he told Mediapart, attributing this to "our dependence on phosphate fertilisers from Moroccan deposits".
The AFD has defended the loan, saying fertilisers exported by OCP to the European Union are now labelled "low cadmium", with levels below 20 milligrams per kilogram, under both EU regulatory limits and Anses recommendations.
Loan scrutiny
An internal "second opinion" from risk experts, quoted by Mediapart, warned that the AFD's exposure to Morocco was already high. A staff member also raised concerns in 2025 about cadmium-related risks, writing that alerts to superiors and technical experts had been dismissed.
Despite these warnings, the loan was approved and partly disbursed. Details of the financing remain unclear, with the AFD citing banking secrecy. By April 2026, €200 million had already been paid out, according to the agency's own data.
Supporters of the deal say its purpose was environmental improvement. Frédéric Petit, a centrist MP who sits on the AFD board, said the financing "did not fund fertiliser production" but aimed to help decarbonise "Morocco's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases" and improve water management.
(with newswires)
France recognises role in pesticide harm across Caribbean islands
France's parliament has unanimously acknowledged the state's role in a pesticide scandal that contaminated most people in Guadeloupe and Martinique and has been linked to cancer and other health problems. The vote marks a significant moment in a decades-long fight over chlordecone, a toxic chemical that continued to be used in the French Caribbean after it was banned in mainland France.
Issued on: 04/06/2026 - RFI
Lawyer Harry Durimel, right, stands beside an activist holding a sign reading "No to chlordecone poison" during a protest in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, 18 November 2007. AP - Dominique Chomereau-Lamotte
The lower house of parliament voted in favour of a bill saying "the state acknowledges its share of responsibility for the health-related, moral, environmental and economic harm suffered" by Guadeloupe, Martinique and their populations.
The Senate had already approved the measure.
Chlordecone, also known as Kepone, was used in banana plantations on the two islands from 1972 to 1993 to combat weevils. France banned it on the mainland in 1990 but continued to allow its use in Guadeloupe and Martinique for another three years despite warnings about its dangers.
More than 90 percent of adults on the two islands have been contaminated, France's national public health agency Santé Publique France said.
France's health and food safety agency Anses has found a probable link between chlordecone exposure and prostate cancer, while studies have also found harmful effects on the nervous and hormonal systems and on reproduction.
The lower house of parliament voted in favour of a bill saying "the state acknowledges its share of responsibility for the health-related, moral, environmental and economic harm suffered" by Guadeloupe, Martinique and their populations.
The Senate had already approved the measure.
Chlordecone, also known as Kepone, was used in banana plantations on the two islands from 1972 to 1993 to combat weevils. France banned it on the mainland in 1990 but continued to allow its use in Guadeloupe and Martinique for another three years despite warnings about its dangers.
More than 90 percent of adults on the two islands have been contaminated, France's national public health agency Santé Publique France said.
France's health and food safety agency Anses has found a probable link between chlordecone exposure and prostate cancer, while studies have also found harmful effects on the nervous and hormonal systems and on reproduction.
Recognition and reparations
The new law sets France the goal of decontaminating land and water polluted by chlordecone and seeks to compensate victims of the contamination.
Scientific research is to become a national priority, while support is also planned for fishermen and farmers affected by the pollution. The legislation also calls for further work on illnesses affecting women and for a government mission to define future reparations.
"With this text, which recognises the suffering of our populations, Parliament has carried out an act of legislative justice," Elie Califer, the Socialist lawmaker from Guadeloupe who introduced the bill, said.
More work remains to be done, he added. "It will still be necessary to fight to obtain full compensation."
Califer has also called for a dedicated fund for victims.
Not everyone felt the legislation went far enough. Fellow Guadeloupe lawmaker Olivier Serva said he was "not entirely satisfied" with the outcome.
"But we've come far, given that the state initially didn't even want to acknowledge its partial responsibility," Serva said.
Martinique official Serge Letchimy also welcomed the vote.
It had come "to shatter a system that tramples on the truth, absolves the guilty and scorns the victims", he said.
Anxiety and courts
One point of disagreement during parliamentary debates concerned recognition of the anxiety felt by residents worried about developing chlordecone-related illnesses. Senators added the provision to the bill, but it was later removed at the government's request.
The Paris appeal court recognised that burden in March 2025, acknowledging the mental suffering of residents living with fears about possible health consequences.
The court is due to decide on 22 June whether to reopen a criminal investigation into the scandal after magistrates closed the case in 2023, saying too much time had passed to secure convictions.
Chlordecone was banned worldwide in 2009 under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
The new law sets France the goal of decontaminating land and water polluted by chlordecone and seeks to compensate victims of the contamination.
Scientific research is to become a national priority, while support is also planned for fishermen and farmers affected by the pollution. The legislation also calls for further work on illnesses affecting women and for a government mission to define future reparations.
"With this text, which recognises the suffering of our populations, Parliament has carried out an act of legislative justice," Elie Califer, the Socialist lawmaker from Guadeloupe who introduced the bill, said.
More work remains to be done, he added. "It will still be necessary to fight to obtain full compensation."
Califer has also called for a dedicated fund for victims.
Not everyone felt the legislation went far enough. Fellow Guadeloupe lawmaker Olivier Serva said he was "not entirely satisfied" with the outcome.
"But we've come far, given that the state initially didn't even want to acknowledge its partial responsibility," Serva said.
Martinique official Serge Letchimy also welcomed the vote.
It had come "to shatter a system that tramples on the truth, absolves the guilty and scorns the victims", he said.
Anxiety and courts
One point of disagreement during parliamentary debates concerned recognition of the anxiety felt by residents worried about developing chlordecone-related illnesses. Senators added the provision to the bill, but it was later removed at the government's request.
The Paris appeal court recognised that burden in March 2025, acknowledging the mental suffering of residents living with fears about possible health consequences.
The court is due to decide on 22 June whether to reopen a criminal investigation into the scandal after magistrates closed the case in 2023, saying too much time had passed to secure convictions.
Chlordecone was banned worldwide in 2009 under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
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