The big problem: we don't know. What do pesticides do? Do they exactly kill those fungi and insects they are intended for, or do they do something else? And if they don't disintegrate after use as promised, they have an effect on the soil and what lives in them, what lives above, in plants and animals.
About us: Manufacturers have long led us to believe that everything was fine. They must have believed it themselves, but gradually their faith has turned to hope. I already passed that stage. I consider chemical pesticides in agriculture to be a nightmare that is becoming more and more real: they are a slow death of life. I read more and more frequently the reports about common diseases in the vicinity of fields where chemicals are used. I see organic farming as the only good solution for the future. It doesn't matter if there is a certificate or not, the point is to ban pesticides. To control pests by natural means, make an alliance with life to regulate afterlife, not death. Many pesticides have yet to be proven harmful, but they get the downside of doubt from me. For this reason, also in wine: choose organic. He came alive.
Derrick Neleman
Winemaker and founder Bodegas Neleman
derrick@neleman.org