France is to end all aerial spraying with pesticides.
The decision by the French government will affect all crops with previous exceptional authorisation to carry out aerial spraying.
The new French law will be enforced immediately.
The government's move means the immediate ending of spraying of maize crops.
It will be extended to rice crops and vineyards within 18 months.
Aerial sprayings were generally banned in the EU under the Directive on Sustainable Use of Plant Protection.
The law was introduced to minimise environmental damage from pesticides.
It had allowed aerial spraying in exceptional cases where pesticides could not be applied by any other way due to technical reasons or economic circumstances.
However, all exceptional circumstances will be disallowed from now on.
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