A few years ago, Western society quickly became decidedly aware of the need to change its behaviour and be more respectful of the environment and the Earth. As a result, several polluting industries put forward new, supposedly more environmentally-friendly approaches. In this regard, the consumer struggles to make sense of it and distinguish between a sincere, authentic change of behaviour and simple marketing, i.e. talk. ‘Sustainable development’, with all its trimmings is one example. Confusion reigns in the agricultural sector as well, and the term ‘reasoned agriculture’ (agriculture raisonnée in French) is largely responsible for it.
Introduced in France in 2004, so-called ‘reasoned agriculture’ is legally defined and its specifications are presented in the form of a list of 103 ‘requirements’ (a Prévert-style inventory although less poetic, some might say) aimed at more respect for the environment. Yet, a closer look at the requirements shows that most of them simply reflect the basic regulations that have been in place for many years (e.g. using only chemical products approved in France), or respect for fundamental safety measures (wearing protective clothing when applying hazardous chemicals such as insecticides), or even simple commonsense when using pesticides (keeping up to date with journals that are likely to be filled with advertising for the same pesticides …).
I personally believe in the sincerity and determination of a number of winegrowers engaged in this approach, and I must recognise the fact that it is a step in the right direction. In my opinion, the problem lies in the fact that it is a tiny step, and ridiculous in the face of the urgent need to correct agricultural practices that are so devastating for the Earth. What I fear is that producers as well as consumers will not be satisfied with such little progress. Instead of being a catalyst, reasoned agriculture will only be a hindrance to the changes needed in farming practices.
Let us be loud and clear: reasoned agriculture, which uses agrochemicals less irrationally and demonstrates slightly more awareness of their drawbacks, is nothing more than conventional agriculture.