France, Jan. 25 -- Sugar beet growers in France say asurprise decision to conclusively ban the use of neonicotinoids - insecticides that are harmful to pollinators and to overall biodiversity - amounts to a breach of trust by the government that will completely derail one of the country's biggest industries.

Farmers were weeks away from sowing beet seeds treated with neonicotinoids when Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau on Monday announced that France would no longer circumvent EU laws that have forbiddentheir use since 2018.

The decision - which takes immediate effect - came four days after theEuropean Court of Justice ruled that emergency exemptions by EU countries allowing the insecticides'ongoinguse were in fact illegal.Industry lea...