The government says it has decided on an action plan to reduce by 50% the risks of long-term soil and water pollution by adopting a more sustainable policy to protect crops over the next ten years.
The measures include the use of more efficient and low-emission techniques and machines as well as further training and practical advice for farmers on dealing with weeds, pests and plant diseases.
However, it is not possible to dispense with pesticides altogether according to the Federal Agriculture Office.
“The Swiss agriculture sector would produce considerably lower amounts of food if no chemicals were used for crop protection,” the statement said.
The office also urged consumers to buy fruit and wines which are more resistant.
Not enough
The government measures have come in for criticism.
Environmental groups argue that the plan is insufficient and fell short of banning synthetic pesticides.
The leading Farmer’s Association said the measures focus only on the agriculture sector and spare other sectors, including railway companies, the construction industry and owners of family gardens.
The lobby group for the country’s chemical, pharmaceutical and biotech industry said the action plan did not show sufficiently the benefits of pesticides and it failed to clarify the methods of measuring progress.
Citizens groups are also collecting signatures for two separate people’s initiatives aimed at banning synthetic pesticides and cutting government subsidies to farmers who rely on agrochemical products.
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Fighting against pesticides
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A group of people have come together to try and get all synthetic pesticides banned in Switzerland. Here’s how they’re doing it.
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More and more experts are convinced it would be possible to feed the planet using farming that is smaller scale, diversified and that forgoes the use of chemicals.
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A group of citizens is collecting signatures for an initiative aimed at banning the use of synthetic pesticides. It is up against powerful opponents.
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Tests of the nation’s water supplies have found that a fifth of samples contained dangerous levels of pesticides. Farmers use more than 2,000 tons of pesticides annually, and the chemicals wind up in streams, lakes and groundwater that serves as the main source of drinking water in Switzerland. The revelation has spurred the launch of…
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The vast majority of Swiss people want local farmers to use fewer pesticides on their fields, according to a survey published on Thursday.
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The total number of Swiss farms is declining, and more and more of the farms that remain are turning their back on conventional methods.
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