Lavender farmers rebel against new EU chemical rules

Billboards decrying the classification of lavender oil as a chemical are springing up among the crops at lavender farms in the South of France. Lavender oil is worth over $60 per kilogram and the plant, referred to locally as blue gold, is cultivated by around 1,500 producers, representing 30,000 full-time jobs. But European Union rules adopted last year, and due to come in force by 2018, may threaten the profits. According to regulators, lavender oil’s potential to produce allergies places it firmly within regulations on chemical toxins. That means lavender products will have to bear warnings involving bold black and red labels with messages such as “Can be fatal if swallowed or inhaled”.

The consequence of this ruling, in the very short term, would be the ruin of our plantations and the disappearance of lavender from our Provencal countryside.

An open letter from lavender farmers to President Francois Hollande

Producers say the labelling rules are too extreme - they note that lavender oil allergies usually produce only rashes - and too expensive for small farmers to implement. In addition, producers would themselves be responsible for carrying out a costly chemical analysis on their crops. EU authorities met with lavender producers in April and are now working on ways to help producers to conform to the law. Proposals are to be made this autumn, according to the commission document. But producers claim lavender oil should simply be reclassified under agricultural products.

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