Labbé law, smooth application of “zero phyto” on January 1, 2025

Managers of French Golf courses can be reassured. The Labbé law will certainly apply as planned on January 1, 2025 for all grassed sports fields, but the legislator had provided for exemptions if no biocontrol product could effectively replace phytosanitary products. A joker which will logically be used after constructive discussions with the ministries concerned… even if the final terms of the exemption duration are still under discussion.

David CHARPENET

After a first reassuring letter from the French Golf Federation intended for golf course managers, sent as announced following the Paris 2024 Olympic Gamesthe information continues to be reassuring for golf managers.

Passed in 2014, the Labbé law prohibiting the use of phytosanitary products on grassy sports fields from January 1, 2025 will be applied “ gently “. The greenkeepers feared a strict application of the law, even though the legislator had insisted on including a possibility of exemption in the original text… of 2014.

Find the full interview with Joël Labbé

A first reassuring letter following the Olympics

The letter from Pascal Grizot that we obtained, sent to golf managers in the wake of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, came to reassure the golf industry by recalling four areas of action: a roadmap developed from a complete diagnosis, the search for solutions with in particular AGREF (Association of Golf Course Maintenance Personnel) and the SPOR&D consortium (Sol Pelouse Research & Development Organization) which brings together all the sports sectors involved with football, horse racing, tennis and rugby (also concerned by the application of the Labbé law), staff training and finally the development of the exemption list provided for by law.

If research and staff training are long-term, the list of exempt products had to be drawn up before December 31, 2024, so as not to abandon golf managers in a halo shrouded in uncertainties.

The authorities are clear: fewer plant protection products yes, but not to the detriment of the quality of the game. The FFG therefore recommends “ ensure that phytosanitary products are compatible with environmental issues”to reduce the latter “ while preserving the quality of the playing surfaces.”

A constructive and consensual meeting in November

Unfortunately, faced with proven technical and scientific impasses, the six uses proposed by the sports sectors were all retained by the Ministry of Sports and Ecology during a meeting at the beginning of November. A highly reassuring consensus for all representatives of golf and other sports concerned.

Fungicides, which are mainly of concern to greenkeepers to combat fungi on greens responsible for fusarium wilt and dollar spot in particular, will still be authorized since no biocontrol product has been able to prove its effectiveness.

As a reminder, the exemption concerning golf courses only applies to tees, fairways… and of course the greens which concentrate almost all of the phytosanitary products used. The duration of the validity of the exemption nevertheless remains under discussion.

The different parties have proposed between one and three years of renewable exemption, but the principle of a list of exceptional uses has already been established. “ Everyone unanimously agreed for a list of derogatory uses of at least one year. revealed Remy Dorbeaugolf director of Chantilly and president of AGREF and Écoumène.

Discussions still ongoing… and a future to write

The duration of the exemption must allow the different organizations to find biocontrol solutions capable of replacing phytosanitary products. And if research is already actively implemented with AGREF & Écoumène or even SPOR&D, helped by public organizations such as INRAe, to find biological solutions on the various grassy sports fields, it takes time. current state of scientific knowledge.

The different parties have understood this well and whatever the duration of the exemption, it seems destined to be renewed, as long as the solutions have not been scientifically found and tested. “ For this type of complex research project, we can count on at least five years to find the solutions and test them before their implementation,” reminded Gérard RougierDirector of Territories, Environment and Equipment at FFGolf and Coordinator of SPOR&D​

All golfers, all golf course managers and all members of the various federations affected by the Labbé law dream of natural grass without phytosanitary products. We will try to understand in future articles why solutions are difficult to find… and to implement. But the announcement of the exemption list is intended to be reassuring for golf course managers, reminding us that the ecological transition continues to move forward, without disrupting a model threatened by environmental changes.

Photo : Christophe Lehenaff / Photononstop / AFP