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The German Winegrowers' Association (DWV) once again opposes the EU's planned total ban on plant protection products in so-called "sensitive areas". The association is lobbying the German government and the EU Commission for an adjustment of the EU proposal for a regulation "on the sustainable use of plant protection products (SUR)". A radical ban in protected areas would mean the end of any cultivation of vineyards and thus the abandonment of the structurally rich landscape worthy of protection and, in the medium term, of the downstream economic sectors.
"It is only through the use as vineyard land that biodiversity is demonstrably promoted in many protected areas. Especially in locations with dry stone walls. These have secured the steep slopes of the vineyards for centuries and provide habitats for animals worthy of protection such as the wall lizard or the Apollo butterfly," says DWV President Klaus Schneider. The positive effects of viticultural management must be taken into account in the proposed EU plant protection package.
"Instead of blanket total bans to achieve the targets, we advocate the analysis of reduction potentials in viticulture that reconcile sustainability and landscape conservation," explains DWV Secretary General Christian Schwörer. "For a successful implementation of the goals, the requirements must also be designed in a practical way in the areas of planning, monitoring and evaluation in such a way that the winegrowers can focus their resources on the implementation of concrete measures as a matter of priority."
(ru / Source: DWI; Photo: 123rf.com)