Federal Council proposes rejection of the "For a Switzerland without synthetic pesticides" initiative
The Federal Council proposes that Parliament reject the popular initiative "For a Switzerland without synthetic pesticides" without a counterproposal. However, the Confederation is already making great efforts to reduce the risks of pesticides with the Plant Protection Products Action Plan. Within the framework of the agricultural policy from 2022, these efforts are to be further intensified with effective and practical measures.
The initiative "For a Switzerland without synthetic pesticides" was submitted on May 25, 2018. It demands that the use of synthetic Pesticides in agricultural production, in the processing of agricultural products and in soil and landscape conservation forbidden will. The import of food containing or produced with the help of synthetic pesticides is also to be banned.
The popular initiative aims to reduce the risks and use of pesticides and thus addresses a concern that is widespread among the population. The Federal Council is aware of this and therefore adopted the Plant Protection Products Action Plan on September 6, 2017. This is intended to reduce the applications and risks of plant protection products. As part of the agricultural policy from 2022, an additional package of measures is planned as an alternative to the drinking water initiative. In future, direct payments will only be made to farmers who forego the use of pesticides that pose an increased environmental risk. This renunciation is to become part of the ecological performance certificate (ÖLN), a basic requirement for receiving direct payments. In addition, cultivation methods with less or no Plant protection products be increasingly supported with direct payments.
More info
