La lutte raisonnée
La lutte raisonnée means 'the reasoned struggle'. Growers who practice this kind of viticulture claim to use chemicals less often and less aggressively than conventional growers.
Wine made from grapes farmed in this way is often distinguished by some form of ladybird logo (it comes in various guises), as is other produce of this kind of agriculture.
Use
Conscientiously practiced, lutte raisonée can be very close to organic farming.
But the only thing to stop a reasoned grower from farming conventionally is his conscience.
Growers who claim to use this approach are subject to no system of checks and no agreed limits as to what is permissible.
Abuse
Each grower is supposed to set himself an 'economic threshold'.
In other words, it is profit rather than necessity which governs the use of chemical intervention.
Amongst the more cynical growers, it is also profit which governs the decision to describe themselves as lutte raisonée in the first place.
It is a way to claim semi-organic status without having to commit to anything.
