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Alain Aubanel has a new worry. Top of wildfires, high energy costs and unreliable supply chains are troubling parts of southeastern France. It is feared that the lavender oil it produces has recently been branded Skull and Bones in Europe.
Mr. Aubanel is president of a farmers’ union representing 2,000 lavender growers in southern France, whose production turns acres of land into a hazy wine in summer. It’s a business he says is at risk if the EU goes ahead with proposed changes to use lavender oil, widely used to calm the nerves and boost mood, as a dangerous ingredient.
Lavender farmers were up in arms last year after news of the pending rule changes. In the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions of southeastern France, farmers organized petitions, posted signs on their tractors and protested in lavender fields, drawing the attention of the country’s politicians.
“Lavender growers are in big trouble. The regulatory impact could kill them,” said Mr Aubanel, a third-generation lavender farmer in the mountains south of Grenoble.
“It’s the only crop that allows farmers to make a living in dry mountain areas,” said grower Alain Aubanel.
The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, is issuing new regulations to control substances that are harmful to humans. One of these ingredients is lavender oil, which some studies have shown can disrupt hormone patterns and contain small amounts of carcinogens.
The controversy surrounding French lavender illustrates the delicate balancing act of regulation. The European Union and scientists say the rules protect the planet and its people, but national governments and businesses fear they will harm the economy and consumers.
Mr O’Bonnell, who has called the proposed changes discriminatory, has a simple message for the commission: “Bring back common sense and scientific data.”
Small-scale lavender-oil production is in the vein of many in Provence, a French region popular with tourists on the Mediterranean coast. In this area, the sector directly and indirectly employs 26,000 people, including 1,700 farmers, according to Jean-Michel Arnaud, a regional senator who supports lavender farmers.
Oil exports brought in $345 million last year, making it the region’s fifth-largest export, according to the Observatory of the Economic Complex, a data project of the MIT Media Lab. In the year By 2020, about 15,000 hectares of grain used to produce essential oils were harvested in the Drem department, where Mr O’Bnell’s farm is located, according to the local Ministry of Agriculture.
Lavender essential oil is obtained during steaming and the oils are collected on the surface of the water where the steam cools.
Producing lavender oil is painstaking: the flowers are picked, dried and sent to the district to extract the oil. One hectare of lavender produces an average of 13 pounds of essential oil, according to the French Ministry of Agriculture.
“It is the only crop that allows farmers in the arid mountainous regions to continue making a living,” Mr Aubanel said.
Many lavender farmers sell at a loss for many years, because overproduction causes prices to fall. Wildfires have destroyed dozens of hectares of lavender In June. “Many producers are financially and psychologically exhausted and are about to leave. [their] Jobs because it is no longer possible,” said Aubanel.
The new laws are being looked at as part of this. Amendment of the EU Chemicals Regulation. The goal is to create a “toxic-free environment” by increasing regulations on hazardous chemicals and fostering innovation for sustainable alternatives. Essential oils can be referred to as endocrine disruptors that disrupt the body’s normal hormone patterns.
A spokesman for the commission said: “This initiative will help to achieve the highest legal protection of citizens and the environment from hazardous chemicals.”
The director added that the improvements are expected in the second half of this year.
Existing labels on lavender-oil packaging warn that the product can be fatal if swallowed or inhaled. In addition, the European Chemicals Agency has declared that the oil can cause skin irritation or allergic skin reactions and is toxic to aquatic life.
New research suggests more harmful effects, with one study linking lavender oil to early puberty in girls and another to abnormal breast development in boys. Scientists say exposure to small amounts of endocrine disruptors can upset homeostasis, the body’s self-regulating process to maintain internal stability.
“The moment you deviate from homeostasis, you are affected in one way, and if you continue to do so, it will have consequences,” says Joseph Kohl, an endocrinologist at the Charité-Berlin Medical University and a member of the European Community. Endocrinology.
Essential oils can be called endocrine disruptors, affecting the body’s normal hormone patterns.
The trade group of the European Essential Oils Federation argues that new risk categories should be built on “rigorous scientific criteria”, arguing for the endocrine-controversial category. Stricter requirements would disproportionately affect smaller companies that could not afford the additional costs, the group argued.
Additional requirements for chemical manufacturers increase production costs that are passed on to consumers.
At Karl Roth GmbH + Co. KG, the German chemical – chemist and head of the occupational safety and environmental protection department, Michael Hegel said, “The regulation is very complicated, it is very difficult to handle and handle properly.” Manufacturing company.
Adding drops of lavender oil to a hot bath “has no effect on your body,” he said.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said it was aware of the criticism from essential oil producers and was considering the socio-economic implications of the revisions.
Chamallock village, where Alan O’Bannell’s farm and factory are located.
Concerned about the potential impact on his region, Mr. Arnaud, a senator from Provence, has proposed a resolution to the French Senate’s European Affairs Committee to ensure that changes to essential oils regulations do not become “collateral damage.” The motion, approved in July, calls for more scientific studies of the oils, which Mr. Arnaud calls “the soul of Provence.”
“Lavender essential oils have been around since ancient Rome and have not caused health problems in humans as long as their use is reasonable,” said Mr. Arnaud. He estimated that 70% of Provence’s lavender production could be at risk due to the additional costs incurred by small farmers.
“At worst,” synthetic lavender derived from crude oil will outsell natural oils, Mr. Arnaud said.
— Noemi Biserbe and Muriel Zvellenreuter contributed to this article.
Write Lucy Papachristos b lucy.papachristou@wsj.com
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