Thousands march on Syngenta pesticide plant in Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne

Mobilisation in Normandy

Between 5,000 and 10,000 demonstrators gathered in Gaillon in the Eure department on Saturday, 3 October 2026, to protest the widespread use of agricultural pesticides. The assembly brought together people of all generations, including medical doctors and farmers. Four separate tractor convoys took to regional roads, while approximately 50 charter buses traveled overnight from across France to deliver participants. Bicycle convoys also arrived during the morning hours. By midday, demonstrators were assembling in the streets before the main procession launched at 14:00. The route led toward the neighboring commune of Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne, a village of 900 inhabitants where Syngenta operates an agrochemical site.

Allegations of health and environmental harm

The action was coordinated by four main groups: Confédération paysanne, Les Soulèvements de la Terre, Cancer Colère, and the Collectif de soutien aux victimes des pesticides de l'Ouest. Organizers accuse the Syngenta plant of polluting nearby water tables and correlate the site's manufacturing activity with an increase in localized cancer cases. Multiple pesticide victims took part in the march alongside supporting associations to demand greater institutional visibility for affected individuals. Representatives from Cancer Colère held placards detailing their specific medical diagnoses while walking in the crowd. Fleur Breteau, serving as spokesperson for Cancer Colère, emphasized the biological reach of agricultural chemicals.

Our anger is healthy, there are millions of us. There are pesticides in infants' stools, in breast milk. Children are born contaminated, pesticides cross the placental barrier. What are we waiting for to protect us? I gave ten years of my life to cancer. And the people who are supposed to protect us do nothing.

Industry scrutiny and regulatory criticisms

Protesters focused their demands on stopping both the manufacture of agrochemicals and the distribution of chemically coated seeds. Confédération paysanne criticized institutional ties between regulators and chemical firms, stating that pesticide manufacturers hold positions on the committee that determines monitoring and support measures for sick individuals. Activists maintained that addressing industrial hazards requires dismantling manufacturing capacity rather than enacting minor regulatory adjustments. Michel Besnard, the president of the Collectif de soutien aux victimes des pesticides de l'Ouest, outlined the motivation behind the demonstration during the gathering.

We are here to say stop. We are not here to close this factory specifically, but to close all factories. We consider these products deadly, causing damage to health and the environment.

Besnard added that the event offered an opportunity to demand an alternative agricultural system to replace the current industrial model.

International scope of the campaign

The Normandy gathering is integrated into the international Stop Pesticides campaign, which focuses on four multinational agrochemical groups: Syngenta, BASF, Corteva Agriscience, and Bayer. Les Soulèvements de la Terre targeted Syngenta specifically, citing its production of genetically modified organisms, dependence on chemically coated seeds, and the export of pesticides prohibited within the European Union. The Swiss-founded, Chinese-owned conglomerate has faced coordinated protest actions across multiple continents, including recent marches in Argentina, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Campaigners in Eure reiterated that closing chemical production facilities is necessary to protect public health and redirect agricultural policy toward non-toxic farming practices.