by Thomas Lepeltier, Causeur, 5 December 2025
Organic farming does not ban pesticides, only synthetic pesticides. Anses’s refusal to renew a large proportion of copper-based fungicides shows this: each product should be judged by its effects, not by its origin.
In brief
- Copper-based fungicides are a mainstay of crop protection in organic farming, particularly in viticulture, against downy mildew.
- In July 2025, Anses refused to renew the authorisation of a large proportion of these products, which accumulate in soils and present a worrying level of toxicity; they will no longer be usable from early 2027.
- The author acknowledges the economic difficulties ahead for the sector, but sees in this the end of an illusion: that of a farming that is healthy by its very nature.
The column’s three arguments
An arbitrary boundary
There is nothing to support the claim that a synthetic pesticide is, as such, more harmful than a product of mineral, plant or animal origin. Organic farming rests on the idea that what is natural must be safer.
Organic farming also undergoes health assessment
Since it uses pesticides, organic farming does not escape assessment. The assessment of copper leads to a withdrawal that threatens the yields of organic winegrowers and reveals the vulnerability of the whole sector.
Judging case by case
For health as for the environment, we must stop opposing natural and synthetic and assess each product on its own merits, whatever its origin.
‘Each product must be assessed case by case, whichever type it is.’Thomas Lepeltier, Causeur, 5 December 2025
Why this debate interests us
The debate on food is often caught up in the opposition between ‘natural’ and ‘artificial’, which we have already discussed in relation to processed plant-based products. This column recalls a useful principle: judge a product by its measured effects rather than by its origin. It also invites us to look at the practical difficulties faced by organic farmers, and not just at the label.
Questions for debate
- Is the natural character of a product an indication of its harmlessness?
- How can organic winegrowers deprived of copper be supported?
- Should the organic label evolve towards a product-by-product assessment?
To go further on apala.fr
Summary written by Claude (Opus 5.5 model), an artificial intelligence, for APALA, based on the article published in Causeur on 5 December 2025. The views expressed are those of the author. Spotted a mistake? Write to us.
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