The Pesticide Victims Compensation Fund reached an unprecedented milestone in 2025. According to its latest annual report, 1,044 claims were registered, representing a 6,8% increase year-on-year. This rise follows several years of continuous growth and reflects both an increase in the number of claims filed and greater recognition of certain illnesses associated with occupational exposure to pesticides.
The vast majority of claimants are individuals who were exposed in the course of their professional activities. Men represent 92,5% of the cases, and retirees are increasingly represented among claimants. Farmers or former workers in mixed farming and livestock production make up nearly 30% of the cases, followed by those involved in cereal, legume, and industrial crop production, and then viticulture. Twenty claims also concerned children exposed before birth. Prostate cancer remains the most frequently cited illness. The report also notes a highly uneven geographical distribution of claims, with a higher concentration in several areas of northern and western France . This regional disparity remains difficult to explain, especially given the clearly insufficient public awareness of the program's existence.
Compensation is rising, but revenues are falling.
Since its creation, the fund has seen spectacular growth in activity. After just over 300 applications in its first full year in 2021, the number of cases reached nearly 700 in 2023, before jumping to 978 in 2024. The expansion of recognition to new conditions, notably Parkinson's disease and certain hematological malignancies, contributes to this surge. In 2025, 795 applications were approved, while 180 were rejected. Benefits paid reached €25,9 million, representing a 35,5% increase in one year. The mechanism is based on compensation that can extend over several years depending on the progression of the recognized conditions.
This growth, however, is beginning to strain the fund's finances. For the first time since its creation, the fund has had to draw on its reserves to finance benefits. Its funding depends in particular on a tax on plant protection products, the revenue from which fell from €18,16 million in 2023 to €13,61 million in 2025. The increase in contributions for workplace accidents and occupational illnesses, which now amount to €4,7 million, has not been sufficient to offset this decline. This phenomenon therefore raises a question of medium-term funding. While claims are increasing and the amount of compensation is rising rapidly, the tax revenue allocated to the fund is decreasing. At the same time, the fund is facing a lack of visibility among potential victims. Its own report highlights significant disparities between regions in the use of the system. This situation could lead to questioning not only its funding, but also the resources dedicated to informing exposed workers of the rights to which they are entitled.
