Emmanuel Giboulot, a biodynamic grower in Burgundy, was fined this week for refusing to spray his vines against flavescence dorée, a bug that spreads a leaf disease that can kill or stunt vines.
Reading the coverage, it seems that everyone else must have gone along with the spraying, since there don’t seem to have been any other prosecutions. Does that mean that all the other organic/biodynamic folks in Burgundy used pesticides?
The AFP story says the pest earlier reached Bordeaux, the Rhone and Loire. What did organic producers do in those regions?
It mentions that he is refusing to use an (apparently) organic treatment because he thinks it is ineffective and may have some undesirable side effects, rather than because it is not organic:
“Giboulot argues that even Pyrevert, a pesticide based on an extract from dried chrysanthemum flowers and the one pesticide that organic farmers could use against the cicadelle without losing their label, had undesirable side effects.
It kills not only the insect but also other fauna that are necessary for the natural balance in a vineyard,”
Seems like he’s protected because everyone else sprays. Don’t know that he should do time.
The argument that there are other fauna responsible for the “natural” balance in a vineyard is a little weird - since when are vineyards “natural” in any way? All the natural fauna and flora was pretty much eliminated a long time ago.
As Steve pointed out, there is a pesticide to treat against this pest that is certified organic. Therefore this is not an issue about being organic, but about the perception of a threat. Giboulot argues that the discovery of 3 infected vines a long distance from his vineyards shouldn’t produce the automatic reaction of having a mandatory spraying in the whole viticultural area of a pesticide that has a quite wide range of destruction.
He pointed out that if the threat was a lot closer and immediate, he would use this pesticide.
Another thing to remember is that not every producer was checked, and even then the production of a receipt proving the product had been bought would probably have been enough. Maybe some bought it and didn’t use it? It’s unclear. Giboulot, however, clearly wanted to increase the awareness about the administrative order of mandatory spraying, and he succeeded in doing so and opening debates all over France about it. He basically went to a meeting about this disease and said loud and clear he wouldn’t spray… of course there was a control by the authorities… of course he failed to produce the required evidence… of course he was prosecuted.
The AFP story says the pest earlier reached Bordeaux, the Rhone and Loire. What did organic producers do in those regions?
Everybody sprayed the product (again, which is certified organic and therefore doesn’t affect one’s organic certification), or so they claimed, at least.
I’m not sure what to make of your comment. Clearly the aim of organic (and especially biodynamic) producers is to restore a “natural” balance in the vineyards, by reintroducing plants and animals that will self-regulate many issues. For everything else, there’s copper and sulphur.