New organic regulations fail thanks to farmers’ protests: farmers’ lobby achieves surprising victory

With this measure, the federal government wants to promote biodiversity and reduce the use of pesticides. It states that in the future, farmers may no longer cultivate 3.5 percent of agricultural land, but must leave it to bees, beetles and butterflies.

Farmers had already started sowing

The 3.5 percent target is very controversial in agriculture. The federal government has already postponed the introduction by a year twice under pressure from the farmers’ lobby. Farmers had already started sowing seeds for the new organic areas when Parliament decided not to implement the measure at the end of last year.

Now she should be completely off the table. It is almost certain that the Council of States will also agree to the withdrawal.

Nature and environmental protection organizations such as the WWF are appalled. The introduction of the organic area of ​​3.5 percent is “a promise from the Federal Council and Parliament to the population to reduce the use of pesticides in agriculture,” says WWF spokesperson Jonas Schmid. Parliament has already supported this measure several times, but now the National Council has given in. “It would at least be fair if he stood up and explained to the population that he does not want to reduce the use of pesticides.”

Farmers’ protests are the reason

The reason for the unexpected decision is the farmers’ protests, which have also reached Switzerland, and especially French-speaking Switzerland, in recent weeks. Farmers’ association boss Ritter knows for sure. “The rallies have led to a rethink,” he says. So it was the French national councilors of the FDP who overturned the proposal. Together with a united SVP and the majority of the center, they buried the organic areas. In their protests, Swiss farmers demand, among other things, fair producer prices and not more and more environmental regulations.

The pressure from the angry farmers apparently outweighed the words of Minister of Agriculture Guy Parmelin (64). He again warned the council that it was almost contrary to good faith to reverse the 3.5 percent guideline now. Only three months ago, Parliament had instructed the Federal Council to work out a compromise. The National Council does not want to know anything more about this.