
Podcast: Protecting whistleblowers, homegrown fertiliser, daylight savings in France
From Spotlight on France by RFI English
June 4, 2026 · 32 min · Episode 146
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges faced by whistleblowers in France, the potential of homegrown fertiliser alternatives, and the country's approach to daylight savings time.
A former prime minister goes after a whistleblower and what that means for those who dare to speak out. Why a natural ingredient that could cover up to 40 percent of France's fertiliser needs is currently being flushed down the loo. And France's halting steps towards adopting daylight savings time. Former prime minister Édouard Philippe, currently one of the leading contenders in next year's presidential race, is facing allegations of embezzling funds from Le Havre, the city he governs as mayor. A civil servant first raised the alarm over the alleged misconduct, and now the city has attacked her whistleblower status. Cléo Bour, legal manager of the Maison des Lanceurs d'Alerte , which provides support to whistleblowers, talks about France's fraught relationship with those who speak out, the patchwork of protections available to them, and what it means when a powerful political figure uses public resources to go after them. (Listen @1'50'') France, Europe's largest agricultural producer, relies heavily on imported fertilisers to keep its fields producing. But the Middle East crisis has driven up the price of nitrogen-based fertilisers, while the cadmium-rich phosphates France…
People in this episode
Guest: Cléo Bour
Topics covered
- whistleblowers
- fertiliser
- daylight savings
- politics
- agriculture
- environment
Keywords
- whistleblower
- fertiliser
- daylight savings
- Édouard Philippe
- Marc-André Selosse
- agriculture
- France
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Maison des Lanceurs d'Alerte
Places: Le Havre, France, Middle East
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