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At a viticulture policy discussion in Brussels, the President of the German Winegrowers' Association (DWV), Klaus Schneider, again clearly opposed the draft regulations on the sustainable use of plant protection products (Sustainable Use Regulation, SUR).
The proposed SUR regulation provides for a complete ban on the use of plant protection products "in ecologically sensitive areas" such as nature conservation areas, water protection areas, bird protection areas and Natura 2000 protected areas. DWV President Klaus Schneider gave an outlook on the consequences of this provision for German viticulture: "At least one third of the German vineyard area will no longer be able to be cultivated because farm managers cannot afford the economic risk of a complete failure of the harvest. We will experience an unprecedented death of farms. And that will have an impact on the wine-growing regions, on the economic situation in rural areas, on wine tourism, which the regions cannot do without." The ban would lead to the end of German farms. According to an earlier statement by Schneider, wine production on the Mosel could even decline by 90 percent. Last year, the Federal Association of Organic Winegrowing (Ecovin) also spoke out against the current proposed regulation. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture, on the other hand, supports the EU plans.
(al / Source: DWV)