As from 1st January 2019… us ordinary folk are NOT allowed (by Law) to Buy and/or Use a long list of products… for their Garden and/or Fruit& Veg plot…
Look for products marked EAJ … “Emploi autoriser dans le Jardin” to see what you can safely buy and use to control/counter any problems you have.
(One major banned ingredient is glyphosate… found in so many things …RoundUp etc).
Major pain as it is a good weedkiller and alternatives are likely to be less effective or just as damaging to to the environment.
And if commercial use is still allowed (which it appears to be?) stopping use in gardens will probably reduced overall usage by half a gnat’s whisker.
The Law has to start somewhere… this stuff is already banned in public “green spaces” and now it is the turn of the private sector to get on board…
It has been made abundantly clear that folk found using banned substances will be fined… and worse if they persist.
Many farmers have already stopped, because they see the sense in doing so.
Many are still using, but even they will find it curtailed and finally stopped in time to come.
If we are going to achieve some sort of come back for our bees, wildlife and the future environment… every small step counts… 
Pesticides, fair enough - they tend to kill insects indiscriminately, including useful ones.
But I’m less convinced about glyphosate (as, I believe, we have discussed previously).
More to the point what alternatives are going to be permitted and do we really know that they are harmless?
To the point… is that this stuff is now prohibited in France… for you and I to use… and if you and/or I use it… we will be fined and, anyone who persists could well end up in court.
That is why I have brought the subject to the attention of Forum users.
The crazy thing is that our neighbouring farmer can use it one metre from our garden but I’ll get fined if I use it on the drive.
Crazy but true… and he will be stopped, as well, in the end… The fight to get the Farmers to stop using this stuff, has been long and hard… and it will be won. It must be won… for all our sakes…
I had a wood deliverytoday. I order it from my neighbouring farmer and another farmer arrives with it. While we were unloading and stacking the wood they were chatting and got around to talking about Bio. My neighbours who keep horses and beef cattle are 100% organic. Simpler for them than for most as they only need grazing land and a hay crop but nevertheless good to hear.
Which is very sensible - I don’t mean to shoot the messenger here 
We need to use Roundup because we are surrounded by fields which grow hay. We get seeds from this in our garden and we do not know what to do now for the best in our potager.
The cases of cancer which have been put down to glyphosate all seem to be in a few people who have used it in large quantities without taking adequate precautions and over a long period of time.
It really is throwing the baby put with the bathwater.
Jane,
As I have said… it is now against the Law for the Individual to use many products … including RoundUp… in France… (even in the privacy of their own property).
There are EAJ products available… less destructive to the environment and less hazardous to health…
I live in a farming area and am surrounded by farmland . It always amazes me the stocks/sacks of chemicals that farmers have lying around.
The older generation have the attitude that ‘well we have the used it all this time and it’s not harmed us’. There is a new generation coming along and with the education from agriculure colleges I believe that they will want to change.
My neighbour’s son, who had to change direction in his life at the age of 18 when his father was tragically killed in a ‘domestic accident’, has started doing things his way.
A couple of years ago his father and grandfather would be spraying everything in sight. Benoit has been treating just very small areas around edges of fields. Its a start 
I know Stella.
There is no need to remind me like a naughty child.
Apologies Jane, did not mean it to sound like that…
my comment was aimed at the Wide Audience of readers…
So many Individuals are still wondering whether or not they can “get away with” using RoundUp … whether or not to risk it… (this Law brings a major change for many gardeners.)
And I have been told, quite firmly, that using the “illegal” products will dealt with severely.
We will, like many others, have to resort to flame throwers to control our weeds.
How ecological is that?
Before anyone tells us that we should be weeding by hand, I can tell them that is not a viable solution.
Apology accepted.
Ah, Happy New Year to one and all.
France and the EU have separate rules regarding animals/insects and plant control, so it’s a minefield out there:
Example 1. Bacillus thuringiensis perfect for killing chenilles processionnaire and box caterpillars, from 1 May 2018 need a different diploma to use commercially, a bummer as I have 40 litres of the stuff sitting in my store room.
Example 2. Racumin Powder rodenticide excellent for confined spaces (voids) legal in UK banned in France for several years.
Herbicides usually require a special licence to use and are banned in most Espaces Verts, including gardens. There are effective alternatives though.
Farmers have to legally obey to ZNT (Zones non traité) usually 5m from a neighbouring property, ha ha ha good luck on that one!
Rodenticides sold to General Public must have no more than 30ppm active ingredient. This is also farcical as I can use stronger bait, therefore use less to treat an infestation. AKA a 2 tier system for rodent treatment.
What they are trying to do makes sense; to stop you naughty amateurs who never read the instructions on the packet. Yes, you, don’t deny it! They are also trying to eradicate the rule of farmers “Grandpère did it so why should I do any different?”.
Pest Control in France is an artisan trade and we spend a lot of money each year on training courses and keeping up to date with new practices. There are a lot of nasty chemicals out there and they don’t want you to play with them without any experience or knowledge.
There are many ways to treat pests without using herbicides or chemicals I have just won a contract for a medium size town for dératisation in their sewage system. My process is non toxic monitoring thus minimum environmental impact.
I can understand why Dr Amateur is miffed, but the nannies are doing it in your best interest!
“green” homemade weed killer…… vinegar mixed with washing-up liquid
A 3:1 mixture of salt and water also works - good for weedy gravel, but if you are using it near flower beds you need to be careful as it will kill off other plants too. Even more effective apparently with added vinegar and washing up liquid.
I suspect that the real problem is that just like for seat belts, illegal parking, obeying ‘No Entry’ signs, cutting hedges into extinction, and using firearms too close to other peoples property, that the level of enforcement action taken in many rural areas will be set at ‘None Whatsoever’.
Eventually the prohibition of sale will stop the use by ‘Harry Homeowner’ (unless you know a Farmer of course), and that is probably a good thing.
Visiting store rooms of large supermarkets in the line of duty can be a real eye opener with regard to what runs about when everybody is sleeping, but reassuring to see several pallets of round-up packaged up and ready to ship back to the suppliers.