2023-07-19 00:27:31
A recent study by the European Commission on the impact of the SUD regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products indicates that “the foreseeable decrease in grape production is irrelevant, as it is not an essential crop”. As might be expected from such a statement, the representative entities of the European wine sector claim the importance of the vineyard and wine and defend that “viticulture is essential in Europe”.
I think it’s important to note that the European Union is the world’s leading producer of wine, representing 45% of the world’s vineyard surface. This high value-added sector is vital for many European rural regions, generates millions of jobs and contributes significantly to the EU’s trade balance.
Drop in production
However, this study predicts a drop in grape production due to the effects of the reduction in plant protection estimated in the 18% in Spain, 20% in Italy and 28% in France, and without even assessing the impact of climate change that would need to be added to this figure.
In the study, the European Commission adds that “grape production is not an essential crop for European food security and that the decrease in wine production in Europe would be irrelevant”. However, for the European sector “these statements ignore theenormous economic, social and cultural contribution of the wine sector to many regions of the EU”.
For this reason, the European wine sector denounces that this attitude is totally unacceptable on the part of the representative organizations of the wine value chain in Spain, France, and Italy, which endorse this statement. It is incomprehensible that the European Commission assumes and foresees the penalization of an entire sector of great relevance for the European economy. Operators and companies in the wine sector have been committed to the ecological transition for a long time and will continue to be so. There is still a lot of work to be done and our producers must be able to continue with this commitment to environmental sustainability without unnecessary controversy.
#Viticulture #essential #Europe