Private individuals should no longer have access to toxic pesticides
The Council of States on Monday narrowly approved a motion to ban private individuals from acquiring toxic pesticides in Switzerland.
Home gardeners may no longer have access to toxic pesticides (illustration image).
KEYSTONE/CHRISTIAN BEUTLER
Individuals should no longer be able to acquire toxic pesticides. The Council of States narrowly approved a motion by Maya Graf (Vert-es / BL) on Monday. The National has yet to decide.
About 10% of the pesticides sold in Switzerland, or some 200 tonnes of active substances, are applied by amateur gardeners. Some of them are very toxic, recalled Adèle Thorens Goumaz (Vert-es / VD) for the commission.
However, amateurs do not undergo training, she continued. They lack knowledge of applicable legal requirements, how to use, store and dispose of pesticides correctly, or alternative solutions.
Sold in small containers
The motion demands that plant protection products toxic to humans, insects or aquatic organisms should no longer be used for non-professional use. The senators accepted it by 20 votes once morest 15 and two abstentions.
The text also provides for the establishment of a positive list, permanently updated, of all phytosanitary products whose sale and use remain authorized. Authorized pesticides and insecticides must also be sold in small ready-to-use containers.
A part of the right and the center opposed the text. Measures have already been taken and progress made, pointed out Hannes Germann (UDC / SH). Pesticides intended for professionals can no longer be given to individuals since January 1, 2021, said Interior Minister Alain Berset.
A list of products intended for non-professionals already exists, he added. The action plan, adopted in 2017, also plans to strengthen the approval criteria for these products. The “ready to use” criterion will be studied in this context. The Fribourgeois drew a blank.
Published: 30.05.2022, 22:34
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