Swiss citizens will get the chance to vote on a complete ban on the use of synthetic pesticides after campaigners secured enough signatures to force a referendum.
More than 100,000 Swiss signed the call for a ban that would apply to all farmers, industries and imported foods.
If the vote is passed, Switzerland would become only the second country after Bhutan to implement a full ban.
But it could be at least three years before voters go to the poll.
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The Swiss initiative would go much further than the handful of towns and regions around the world that have already banned all synthetic pesticides. It would also be of greater global significance than the ban imposed by Bhutan in 2013, as Switzerland is the home of the world’s biggest pesticide manufacturer, Syngenta.
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If passed, all synthetic pesticides would be phased out over a period of 10 years.
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The rules would also apply to imports which could have significant impacts on neighbouring countries as Switzerland imports almost 500kg of food per head of population, according to figures from the Federal Customs Administration.
Read full, original post: Switzerland to vote on pesticide ban ‘in 3 years’
