The Swiss called to the polls to ban or not synthetic pesticides
Audio 01:23
“Destroy Swiss agriculture?
Radical Initiatives for Plant Protection and Drinking Water - 2 x No ”is placed in front of a field near Aesch, Switzerland, on June 1, 2021. REUTERS - ARND WIEGMANN
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
Insect populations that drop by ¾ in a generation, increasingly polluted and less fertile soils, wherever there is intensive agriculture, the situation is the same.
It is in an attempt to reverse the trend that Switzerland votes on Sunday, June 13 to ban synthetic pesticides not only in the fields, but also on the shelves of supermarkets.
If the yes wins, the country would simply become the first country to produce and consume 100% organic.
But that's without counting the opposition of most farmers, worried about their economic future.
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With our correspondent in Geneva,
Jérémie Lanche
“
I planted a kilometer of hedges, I was lucky to see new species of insects appear that I had never seen during my childhood. It questions a lot.
"
For years, François Haldemann, used synthetic pesticides in his fields. Before going organic. A choice he has never regretted and which leads him today to vote yes to the ban on pesticides. François Haldemann knows it, his position is in the minority among farmers who denounce an extreme and costly measure for producers and consumers: “
Their arguments, in terms of entrepreneurs, I understand them perfectly. But often, they admit that in the long term, it will certainly be necessary to imagine a world without synthetic pesticides.
"
Another organic producer, another position.
Georges Vuillod has been an organic market gardener since 2008. But he will vote no to the ban on pesticides: “
Philosophically, everything organic for everyone is perhaps what will happen.
But, we think that we have businesses that are linked to economic activities and we will end up with organic farming which will be disconnected, which will be considered too expensive.
"
Opposite, supporters of the ban prefer to talk about the hidden costs of soil pollution and lost yields.
A battle of numbers that electrified the debate as rarely in Switzerland.
With acts of vandalism between supporters and opponents of the pesticide ban.
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Swiss
Environment
Agriculture and Fishing