French environmental scientists slam policy rollbacks

Loosening ecological protection will harm farmers rather than help them, researchers say

A thousand scientists working at French research institutes and universities have signed a joint letter condemning “clear retreats in the fight against environmental degradation” made by the government following nationwide protests by farmers.

In the letter, published in the newspaper Le Monde on 26 February, the scientists stressed that their condemnation of recent government actions was not made in opposition to farmers, whose margins have been squeezed over recent years and who say that their quality of life is diminishing.