Glossary

Organic pesticides

Organic agriculture is also dependent on the use of pesticides (plant protection products and biocides). More than 40% of the pesticides sold in Switzerland are approved for organic farming. Four organic pesticides are among the ten best-selling plant protection products in Switzerland. Many of the plant protection products used by organic farmers are not of direct natural origin. All copper salts used in organic farming are produced synthetically. Sulfur products, potassium bicarbonate, potassium soap and iron phosphate, which are used as bio-pesticides, are also considered synthetic. Many organic products also contain additional and auxiliary components that are synthetically produced. Attractants used in organic and conventional agriculture against codling moth or cherry vinegar fly, for example, are all synthetically produced, because it simply makes no sense to squeeze millions of insects to get the attractant. This means that the organic farming practiced in Switzerland today is also heavily dependent on synthetic pesticides.

Plant protection products approved for organic farming are not per se more environmentally friendly. Spinosad and pyrethrins (obtained from chrysanthemums grown in monocultures) are toxic to bees, copper accumulates as a heavy metal in the soil and damages earthworms and other microorganisms there. Whether organic or synthetic: The manufacture of a substance does not say anything about its toxicological potential. The decisive factor is whether a chemical or biological substance can be used safely for humans and the environment. This is not the case with copper because of its persistence and it is on the list of so-called “substitution candidates” of the Federal Office for Agriculture, which means it must be replaced.


Comparison of crop protection statistics 2010-2019

Source:
https://www.blw.admin.ch/blw/de/home/nachhaltige-produktion/pflanzenschutz/pflanzenschutzmittel/verkaufsmengen-der-pflanzenschutzmittel-wirkstoffe.html

2010 (tons AI)

2019 (tons AI)

Difference (%)

Organic PPP

542.4

927.4

Organic PPP with a special risk potential (copper)

71.2

71.6

+ 0.6 %

Organic PSM Total

613.6

999

+ 63 %

Conv.: PSM

1379.1

866.0

Conv.: PPPs with a particular risk potential

215.6

140.8

- 35 %

Conv.: PSM Total

1594.7

1006.8

- 37 %

Explanations:

  • The quantity of active substances for exclusively conventional agriculture and of these those with particular risk potential has decreased markedly (by 37 % and 35 % respectively) from 2010 to 2019. The fact that the risks associated with these plant protection products have fallen so sharply is proof of the efforts made by industry and agriculture. The decline in the quantities of active substances for exclusively conventional farming is largely due to the abandonment of herbicides. This means that instead of using climate-friendly and soil-friendly herbicides, more ploughing is now being done, which promotes erosion and soil compaction and increases energy consumption due to more passes.

  • The sharply rising volumes for products that are also permitted in organic cultivation prove that farmers are dependent on crop protection. The fact that risks are not decreasing for this category is mainly due to copper. Of the active substances with particular risk potential sold in 2019, copper was by far the best-selling active substance (34%). The active ingredient, which is also permitted in organic farming, accumulates in the soil and is toxic to worms and soil organisms. It is questionable whether it is really more environmentally friendly to use large quantities of older, non-specific agents such as the petroleum derivatives paraffin oil or sulphur instead of a few grams of modern pesticides.