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