Versus: Should glyphosate be banned?
These pro ban and anti ban farmers share their points of view.
These pro ban and anti ban farmers share their points of view.
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00:00I don't think we should have talked about glyphosate.
00:02From an agronomic point of view, it's still a heresy.
00:17For me, it's not desirable to use glyphosate.
00:19I'm not afraid to use glyphosate.
00:21I'm a professional in the use of phytosanitary products.
00:25I protect myself.
00:27The use of glyphosate, and even other products,
00:32require extremely precise application conditions.
00:36Today, glyphosate is shown to be very dangerous
00:38in relation to health risks.
00:40It's presented as potentially carcinogenic.
00:43It's not questionable.
00:44So, in terms of the danger to humans,
00:48we have to be vigilant.
00:49And when we talk about precautionary measures,
00:52insofar as we have doubts,
00:53we shouldn't use glyphosate, at least for this sanitary use.
00:56Whether it's glyphosate or any other pesticide,
00:58whether it's synthetic or natural,
01:00it's evaluated by health agencies.
01:03And it's these health agencies
01:05that assess the risk,
01:06both for humans and for the environment.
01:09And once they've assessed it,
01:11they give an authorization to put it on the market.
01:14These are molecules of this type
01:16that erase biodiversity,
01:18that contribute to climate change,
01:22and so, in a long-term projection,
01:25in a global approach,
01:26it's still difficult to continue using this glyphosate.
01:35Today, glyphosate doesn't have an equivalent chemical alternative.
01:38So, today, the only alternatives that we know of
01:41and that we can evaluate today
01:44for the use of glyphosate
01:45are alternatives with mechanics,
01:49that is, tools that we pull behind the tractor
01:52and that will have a much higher carbon cost
01:56compared to the use of glyphosate.
01:58They will lead to an increase in fuel,
02:00that's for sure,
02:01an increase in the number of tractor hours,
02:04and an increase in the wear of my tools,
02:09which I will use to work my land
02:13and to destroy the weeds.
02:15We have agronomic answers
02:17that allow us to use glyphosate very effectively.
02:20By planting trees, by agroforestry,
02:22by stopping the weeds,
02:23by doing semi-direct under a living cover,
02:25by mixing cultures,
02:27by bringing back breeding to areas
02:29where we can't do anything but breed,
02:31by putting all these answers
02:32instantaneously and simultaneously together,
02:35we have extremely effective glyphosate alternatives
02:38that allow us to produce at least as much,
02:40or even more, in certain situations.
02:41What is the role of glyphosate in agriculture?
02:46I think that we should never have talked about glyphosate.
02:49Today, there are so many beautiful things in agriculture,
02:52the ecological aspects of agriculture.
02:58I started in a precision agriculture approach
03:01where the goal is to better position the right product,
03:06the right dose, at the right time.
03:08These are issues that should be encouraged,
03:12rather than running after interdictions
03:16that we don't understand where they come from.
03:20If I had the Minister of Agriculture in front of me,
03:21I would use glyphosate as a case study,
03:23but to talk about all pesticides,
03:25because reducing, focusing the problem
03:29only on glyphosate,
03:30without mentioning all pesticides,
03:32is too reductive.
03:33The priority in the agricultural sector
03:35is, on the one hand, to make the observation
03:38that we cannot continue on the path
03:40of the significant dependence of pesticides
03:42and synthetic fertilisers,
03:43which are also dependent on oil.
03:45We won't go into the details.
03:47And to accompany this agriculture,
03:50the farmers, on the effective alternatives
03:53that we are starting to see capitalised
03:55a certain number of successes
03:58that we could generalise to all farmers,
04:01and which truly light up virtuous circles
04:04and which respond to societal expectations,
04:06to the expectations of our fellow citizens.