PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS
On “winegrowers see viticulture in danger” by Gerold Zink, BZ from February 2nd:
At the meeting in Oberbergen, according to the BZ article, there was an outcry from the ranks of the winegrowers. Reason: The draft of an EU regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products, according to which the use of pesticides in protected areas would be prohibited in the future. The speakers at the meeting stuck to the old misconception that viticulture was only possible with the use of synthetic pesticides and that the implementation of the planned EU regulation would inevitably lead to ruin. This cannot go unchallenged! In view of insect mortality, climate change and stricter environmental regulations in the future, the future of viticulture can only lie in organic viticulture. The country’s biodiversity strengthening law also stipulates that organic farming should take up 30 to 40 percent of the agricultural area by 2030.
An obvious solution would be to expand the cultivation of new, robust grape varieties (Piwis), which require significantly less spray and which have meanwhile produced very tasty varieties. Furthermore, the use of biological pesticides should be allowed and a more stringent application of the IPS program should be encouraged. The winegrowers’ cooperatives would also have to include and advertise organic wines in their product range. It would be good if the winegrowers would come up with solutions for viticulture that would allow the EU and national goals to be achieved, to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides and to stop the decline in our butterflies and bees.
Martin Wolf, Freiburg
