Proponents of the new emergency agricultural law argue that it is a necessary and pragmatic response to the severe economic pressures facing French farmers. For years, the agricultural sector has struggled with declining profitability, unfair international competition, and the increasingly unpredictable challenges posed by climate change. Supporters, including Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard, maintain that the government has a duty to provide farmers with the tools they need to survive and maintain France's food sovereignty. By allowing for the exceptional, temporary use of specific pesticides like acetamiprid and flupyradifurone, the law provides a targeted safety net for struggling sectors, such as hazelnut and sugar beet farming, which have faced significant crop failures under current restrictions.
Furthermore, the legislation’s focus on water management is seen as a forward-looking strategy to secure the future of French agriculture. With drought conditions becoming more frequent, the commitment to double water storage capacity by 2035 is viewed as an essential investment in infrastructure that will allow farmers to adapt to a changing environment. Supporters emphasize that these measures are not intended to ignore environmental standards but to balance them with the reality of food production. By empowering the national safety agency, ANSES, to oversee these derogations, the government argues it is keeping scientific evaluation at the heart of the process while ensuring that French farmers are not placed at a disadvantage compared to their European counterparts who operate under different regulatory frameworks.