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In the future, Switzerland could farm without pesticides - as the first country in Europe. Sounds good at first, but not everyone is enthusiastic about it. A referendum is to be held next weekend to decide on two relevant initiatives. If a majority of Swiss people approve the project, their country would only be the second nation in the world to completely ban synthetic pesticides. So far only the Kingdom of Bhutan has done this. Proponents of a ban fear that the use of agrochemicals is harmful to health and harms biodiversity.
Roland Lenz, winemaker and organic farmer
“If these two agricultural initiatives are accepted, that would of course be a wonderful signal, actually for the whole world.
Switzerland would be one of the first countries to produce organically sustainable products in the long term.
That would be unbelievable for our livelihood here in Switzerland. "
Groundwater and soil would also benefit, according to proponents.
Roland Lenz, winemaker and organic farmer
»Our drinking water would be clean again sometime in 20 or 30 years.
Our soils would be fertile again, we would have less foreign dependency for our farmers, for ourselves, because we produce organically and therefore need fewer auxiliary materials. "
Many farmers, however, fear that a ban on pesticides will reduce their international competitiveness.
Dominic Haab, dairy farmer
»This initiative wants us to only be allowed to have as many cattle on the farm as we can feed with our own feed, and that is simply not possible.
And the result would be that our production would decrease rapidly, that we would no longer have Swiss chicken, no Swiss pork, and the result would be a lot more imports. "
The anti-pesticide initiative is initially well received by citizens outside of agriculture.
Marie Lenbaus, from Geneva
»I will vote 'yes' because I think we have to think about the future.
We can no longer use pesticides for agriculture. "
Giampiero Terazzi, from Geneva
“I think we could very well run an agriculture without pesticides.
Already a lot of people are eating organic food and let's say it didn't really affect prices. "
The attitude of many consumers does not go down well with some farmers.
Martin Haab, Farmer, Zurich Farmers' Association
“Nowadays, especially in cities, you can find a lot of people who don't have the faintest idea what agriculture really means.
If you have two tomato plants in your garden by the window, you think you understand agriculture and know how 'organic farming' works. "
How the vote will turn out is unclear.
The Swiss seem divided.
According to the latest surveys, approval for the pesticide ban was last at almost 50 percent.
Organic farmers fear dramatic long-term consequences if the initiatives fail.
Roland Lenz, winemaker and organic farmer
»My fear is that of course the farmer's lobby, the agricultural lobby continues as before and accordingly our drinking water will continue to be polluted, will be polluted even more, and our soils will also be polluted even more, because agriculture will certainly become more intensive .
So it would be an absolute loss and it would make me sad. "
If the majority of citizens vote in favor of the pesticide ban at the weekend, Switzerland would have up to ten years to convert its agriculture accordingly.
