Farmer has had enough Renzo Blumenthal: "Organic hype is big money-making!"
Graubünden farmer and former Mister Switzerland Renzo Blumenthal has had enough of organic. He is converting his farm in Vella GR and calls organic "a big money-making exercise".
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- Renzo Blumenthal denounces the guidelines for organic production. The 47-year-old from Graubünden now only produces according to the IP standard.
- This decision has made many headlines.
- The response has been "largely positive", says Renzo Blumenthal.
Farmer and former Mister Switzerland Renzo Blumenthal is turning his back on the organic label with his farm in Vella GR. The 47-year-old from Graubünden is fed up with the many guidelines for organic certification. Blumenthal is now focusing on the IP standard.
The announcement triggered many reactions and Renzo Blumenthal was surprised by the huge response. Among them were also critical voices.
The man from the Grisons Oberland explains his decision as follows: "The whole organic hype is a big money-making exercise. When I was still selling under this label, I had to pay a license fee for every bottle of Renzo beer," the farmer told kleinreport.ch.
Mixed voices, including critical ones
For the most part, his move away from organic farming was received positively. Renzo Blumenthal says about the critical voices in the "kleinreport.ch" interview: "In one letter, I was criticized for my statement on climate change - because I said that it benefits us mountain farmers in a certain sense."
Thanks to the higher temperatures, farmers can also grow maize at higher altitudes. The forage situation has also improved. He lives according to the conditions provided by nature. Blumenthal adds: "That doesn't mean that I think climate change is good."
