EU wine producers and merchants have highlighted in a press release published at the end of January the growing economic threat posed by grapevine mortality and have called for an action plan informed by scientific research.
“Grapevine mortality is an increasing widespread problem across Europe. Between 5% and 10% of European vineyards (France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Hungary, etc.) are affected”, warn EU wine sector organisations Confédération européenne des vignerons indépendants (CEVI), European Federation of Origin Wines (EFOW), Copa-Cogeca (farmers’ organisations agri-cooperatives in the EU), Comité européen des entreprises vins (CEEV) in a joint position paper.
To address this threat, they call for a “European action plan” providing an inter-disciplinary approach in research which focuses operational results by securing vineyard competitiveness and resilience to meet present and future challenges.
A danger to the economic viability of the sector. Continued decrease in productivity and/or a premature, “sudden or progressive” death of vines contribute to a “dangerous” reduction of the economic viability of the wine sector, state the organisations. The main causes are environmental factors, such as climate change and the lack of adaptation techniques; erosion of the grapevine’s genetic diversity; biological factors, such as emerging diseases; and agricultural malpractices resulting from economic constraints (profitability without sustainability, market trends, etc.).
The four organisations point out that “the worldwide economic cost for the replacement of dead grapevines, considering all causes, is roughly estimated to be more than € 1.4 billion per year”. They urgently request the allocation of research funding to find solutions to reverse situation and call for “mobilisation of public and private institutions at the EU level”. In 2015, the European wine sector exported about 21.9 million hectolitres of wine worth almost € 9.8 billion, the organisations state. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)