Loosening Agrochemical Giants Under the Banner of 'Reducing Burden': EU Omnibus X Draft Draws Widespread Opposition from Scientists, Doctors and Victims

The European Union is set to vote at the end of October on a legislative package accused of dismantling pesticide 'safety locks.' According to France 24, the draft, known as Omnibus X, proposes to amend 10 existing EU laws, covering pesticides, biocidal products, food residues, animal feed, and official controls, among other key areas. Its core provisions include canceling the periodic re-evaluation mechanism for most pesticides and extending the grace period for replacing banned pesticides from 18 months to 3 years. Critics warn that once the current system is overturned, the burden of proof and early warning will shift from multinational agrochemical firms to regulators, doctors, and even ordinary residents.

José Nadan, a 69-year-old retired beekeeper, spent most of his working life as a professional beekeeper in Brittany's Morbihan department, France. At first, he enjoyed a golden era when 'with minimal effort' his colonies reproduced naturally. After the varroa mite struck France in the 1980s, he was forced to use various insecticides, including one he was told was 'organic and harmless'—a pesticide about which 'the sales representative even said it was so safe you could drink it directly.' So when he drove his tractor through the apple orchards, he never avoided spraying, letting the mist drift onto his face with the wind. Only after retirement did he learn that the 'harmless' product contained glyphosate—a substance now confirmed to be harmful to humans. Six years ago, Nadan was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and France's agricultural social security system has officially recognized his illness as an occupational disease caused by pesticide exposure.

Edmond Leduc, a retired doctor living in northern France near the Belgian border, has lived alongside farmland for 44 years and was long exposed to sprayed fungicides—sprayed every two weeks during the potato season. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2018, and this August, with prostate cancer—both diseases linked to pesticide exposure. Denis Benoit, a 65-year-old former farmer from western France, recalls the spraying days from spring to summer: 'I'd run a high fever at night and get red blotches on my arms'—those were reactions to the insecticide D6. He too was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019. 'I do regret dealing with those substances, but at the time it was hard to find other work. We were told that only large doses were toxic.'

Official French data confirms this spread: the number of agricultural workers applying to have pesticide-related illnesses recognized as occupational diseases surged from 318 cases in 2024 to 975 in 2025. According to a 2023 cross-national study cited by France 24, researchers detected pesticide residues in 100% of air, indoor dust, and water samples collected in 10 European countries.

The European Commission claims the new plan 'will not compromise food safety or environmental protection,' but critics point out that the periodic review mechanism has historically been key to taking exposed substances off the market in a timely manner. Take the insecticide chlorpyrifos as an example: after being approved in the EU in 2006, the substance became one of the most commonly used pesticides in Europe, with residues widely detected in fruits, vegetables, dairy products and even drinking water. In 2019, a review by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) determined that no safe exposure level could be set for it, finding it did not meet EU health requirements, and it was ultimately banned in January 2020. The entire regulatory process took seven years, but once the ruling was passed, member states were given only three months to process it.

The first to launch this opposition campaign was ecotoxicologist Martina Vijver. She warned that if periodic reviews were canceled, 'Who would initiate the procedure? Doctors? Scientists? Or ordinary people who find all the birds dead while walking their dogs? That's not our job.' She stressed that 'periodic review is a safety lock, essential because we cannot foresee all the consequences.' Vijver launched an open letter to the European Parliament on September 17, and as of this writing had collected co-signatures from 573 scholars from environmental protection, medicine, and public health, calling for the vote on Omnibus X to be suspended until an independent investigation is completed.

'I have never done anything like this,' Vijver said frankly. 'As scientists, we are genuinely worried. If I were not genuinely worried, I would never step forward.' She added: 'Any pesticide is designed to kill. If a substance has neurotoxic effects on insects, it is very likely to have the same neurotoxic effects on humans... That should not be surprising, because that is the whole point of pesticides.'

Grassroots pressure is also escalating. Last weekend, approximately 8,000 cancer patients, farmers, doctors, and activists gathered outside a Syngenta-owned factory in northern France to protest. The factory of the world's largest pesticide seller became the focal point for opponents' anger. Fleur Breteau, co-founder of the collective 'Cancer Colère' (Cancer Anger), holding a sign reading 'Morgan, 36, died of breast cancer,' told Le Monde that her fellow agricultural advocate had passed away this past June. 'We lose companions every week.'

On September 28, 300 French doctors jointly wrote to former Prime Minister Attal, the center-right figure Philippe, and Interior Minister Retailleau, citing data to point out that '23 million people in France suffer from chronic illnesses or cancer. Numerous studies have shown strong links between these illnesses and pesticides. As doctors, we spare no effort to protect the health of our compatriots. If we do not address the root causes of these illnesses, what is the point of our efforts?'

The French environmental organization Générations Futures is organizing nationwide protests and awareness campaigns aimed at letting the public know about this rarely discussed EU legislation. 'Bringing EU issues into the public space has never been easy, because they do not grab headlines,' said the group's campaign director, Andy Battentier. 'Our goal is to let people know about the Omnibus, to spark debate, to get people talking about it—and that is exactly what its supporters hope to avoid.' Battentier stated bluntly that one-third of seats in the European Parliament are held by right-wing and far-right lawmakers who tend to abolish so-called 'red tape,' meaning the chances of Omnibus X passing the vote are not insignificant.

In Morbihan, Nadan still thinks about the bees he once fought to save—the varroa mite slowly consumes its host, and by the time the damage becomes visible, it is often too late. Decades later, he and his companions fear that the same script is playing out with the products they were once told would protect them. 'Many farmers feel shame, especially because their children are also involved in conventional farming,' Nadan said, expressing concern that the Omnibus will 'fuel a surge in cancers and other degenerative diseases for generations to come.'