Editing Organic farming (section)

=== Pesticides ===
[[File:Organic Apples Pateros WA cropped.jpg|thumb|A sign outside of an organic [[apple]] orchard in [[Pateros, Washington]], reminding orchardists not to spray pesticides on these trees]]

In organic farming the use of synthetic pesticides and certain natural compounds that are produced using chemical synthesis are prohibited. The organic labels restrictions are not only based on the nature of the compound, but also on the method of production.

A non-exhaustive list of organic approved pesticides with their [[median lethal dose]]s:

* [[Boric acid]] is used as an insecticide (LD<sub>50</sub>: 2660&nbsp;mg/kg).
* [[Copper(II) sulfate]] is used as a fungicide and is also used in conventional agriculture ([[Copper(II) sulfate|LD<sub>50</sub> 300 mg/kg]]). Conventional agriculture has the option to use the less toxic [[Mancozeb]] ([http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/haloxyfop-methylparathion/mancozeb-ext.html LD<sub>50</sub> 4,500 to 11,200 mg/kg])
* [[Lime sulfur]] (aka calcium polysulfide) and sulfur are considered to be allowed, synthetic materials<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://web.pppmb.cals.cornell.edu/resourceguide/pdf/resource-guide-for-organic-insect-and-disease-management.pdf|page=172|title=Material Fact Sheet: Sulfur (Resource Guide for Organic Insect Disease and Management)|publisher=[[New York State Agricultural Experiment Station]]}}</ref> (LD<sub>50</sub>: 820&nbsp;mg/kg)
* [[Neem oil]] is used as an insect repellant in India;<ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1146/annurev.ento.51.110104.151146 |pmid=16332203 |title=Botanical Insecticides, Deterrents, and Repellents in Modern Agriculture and an Increasingly Regulated World |journal=Annual Review of Entomology |volume=51 |pages=45–66 |year=2006 |last1=Isman |first1=Murray B}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |pmid=8936291 |year=1995 |last1=Mishra |first1=A. K. |title=Use of neem oil as a mosquito repellent in tribal villages of mandla district, madhya pradesh |journal=Indian Journal of Malariology |volume=32 |issue=3 |pages=99–103 |last2=Singh |first2=N. |last3=Sharma |first3=V. P.}}</ref> since it contains [[azadirachtin]] its use is restricted in the UK and Europe.<ref>{{cite web| title=CRD - Enforcement - Products Containing Azadirachtin (also known as Neem Oil)| website=webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk| url=http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/guidance/industries/pesticides/topics/pesticide-approvals/enforcement/products-containing-azadirachtin-also-known-as-neem-oil| last=CRD| access-date=4 July 2017| url-status=dead| archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20151023155227/http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/guidance/industries/pesticides/topics/pesticide-approvals/enforcement/products-containing-azadirachtin-also-known-as-neem-oil| archive-date=23 October 2015}}</ref>
* [[Pyrethrin]] comes from chemicals extracted from flowers of the genus ''[[Pyrethrum]]'' ([http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/pyrethrins-ziram/pyrethrins-ext.html LD<sub>50</sub> of 370 mg/kg]). Its potent toxicity is used to control insects.