French petition against bee-killing pesticide reaches two million

A student-led petition against a chemical deadly to bees reached more than two million signatures in France on Monday. The legislation was adopted on July 8, but without a proper debate to bypass gridlock in a bitterly divided parliament.

The insecticide is particularly sought after by beet and hazelnut growers, who say they have no alternative against pests and face unfair competition. The petition on France's lower-house National Assembly's website had garnered more than 2,009,000 signatures on Monday morning.