Last week the European Union drastically reduced the amount of copper that grape farmers can use each year in their vineyards.

Through the 2018 harvest, the EU allowed growers to use 6 kg per hectare per year.

Beginning on January 1, 2019, they will be allowed to use “an average of” 4 kg per hectare per year over a seven-year period.

According to the Official Journal of the European Union Vol. 61 (December 14, 2018):

It is, in particular, appropriate to restrict the use of plant protection products containing copper compounds to a maximum application rate of 28 kg/ha of copper over a period of 7 years (i.e. on average 4 kg/ha/year) in order to minimise the potential accumulation in soil and the exposure for not target organisms, while taking into account agro-climatic conditions occurring periodically in Member States leading to an increase of the fungal pressure. When authorising products Member States should pay attention to certain issues and strive for the minimisation of application rates.

News of the reduction will undoubtedly raise concern among organic grape growers in Italy and beyond. They rely on copper treatments to combat fungal diseases.

Leading Italian winemakers have spoken out against the pending decision after it was proposed earlier this year. Many claim it will gravely affect their ability to farm organically, thus threatening their livelihood.

The heavy metal has been used in vineyards for more than 150 years to prevent peronospora (downy mildew). First developed in France in the second half of the 19th century, copper sulphate (“Bordeaux Mixture”) has become an essential tool for grape growers who do not employ synthetic fungicides.

“We are very concerned,” wrote Matilde Poggi, president of Italy’s Federation of Independent Grape Growers in May.

“For organic producers, there are no suitable alternatives to copper,” she noted in a press release issued by the group. The majority of its members are organic growers.

Today (December 18, 2018), the EU Science Hub blog published a post entitled “EU topsoil Copper concentration highest in vineyards, olive groves and orchards.”

The authors report that “land use and management are the major cause of changes in soil Cu [copper] concentrations, and [their findings] highlight the need for more sustainable, environmentally aware and soil friendly land management practices in order to limit the environmental and health risk associated with high copper concentrations in vineyards.”

“Vineyards,” they write, “were found to have almost three times the average soil Cu concentration (49.26 mg/kg compared to the overall average of 16.85 mg/kg)…”

These levels represent a significant health risk, they note:

Soil contamination can pose a significant risk to human health. Micronutrients such as copper are particularly relevant as they accumulate in plant tissues. Excess copper can result in liver disease and neurological problems. In addition, the high concentration of copper may cause environmental problems such as water contamination and loss of soil biodiversity.

According to the study, some of the highest concentrations of copper are found in parts of southern France and northern Italy.

Click here for previous my previous posts on this developing story.

News of the new EU norms was first reported in Italy by Maurizio Gily on his Millevigne blog.

Image via the Slow Food/Slow Wine blog.

As European Union organic grape growers anxiously await a Brussels decision on new and more stringent restrictions on copper fungicide use, the highly controversial issue continues to be a focus of media, industry observers, and winemakers in Italy. In many instances, organic and conventional producers — together with their supporters and detractors — are pitted against one another in an increasingly bitter fight. And the exchanges are growing ugly.

My colleague and fellow Slow Wine editor Fabrizio Giavedoni summed it up best in a post published earlier this week on the Slow Wine and Slow Food blogs (translation mine):

The debate over copper fungicide in grape growing resurfaces frequently these days — in conversation, in print, and online. And the discussion focuses on organic wine.

For the most part, there are two principal positions.

On the one hand, many organic grape growers are racking their brains as they try to limit or find alternatives to the use of this metal in their vineyards. They are clearly worried about the accumulation of copper in their soils. There’s no doubt that it’s not a healthy or acceptable situation. And we wholeheartedly share their concern over this serious issue.

On the other hand, conventional grape growers have also been raising their voices, often with the support of writers (including some leading journalists) and bloggers who have little knowledge of viticulture. They point their fingers at organic growers and accuse them of poisoning their vineyards. In many cases, these winemakers and/or journalists have no idea — because they are ill-informed or even ill-intentioned — that commercial products normally used in conventional farming contain substantial levels of copper. Obviously, they aren’t concerned about this because it’s challenging to calculate the exact amount. But more importantly, they aren’t worried about copper levels because there are no legal limits on the use of this metal [for conventional farmers].

(For background on the question of copper fungicide and its risks in organic grape growing, see this post.)

Fabio’s position seems to be at odds with a statement issued by agronomist Francesco Sottile, a member of Slow Food’s technical advisory committee and a professor at the Slow Food University in Bra, Piedmont (UniSG).

“We are in favor,” wrote Sottile in a post published in late August, “of the reduction in the quantity of copper allowable per hectare that the EU is currently discussing. We hope it will lead to broader efforts in research on alternative and supplemental products.”

In this week’s post, Fabio previews the findings of a Slow Wine report on copper levels found in organically farmed vineyards. According the still unpublished study of farms where grape growers are converting or have completed a conversion to organic growing practices, copper levels have actually decreased, he claims. Despite increased spraying of copper sulfate, he writes, the amount of copper present is lower thanks to the fact that synthetic products have been eliminated.

Like many of my colleagues, I’m eager to read the study’s conclusions. In the meantime, I know the sparks will continue to fly.

As one Italian organic grower put it in a cryptic but powerful Facebook post, the question is “a sad truth.”

This week, Slow Food published a statement declaring that the association favors newly proposed limits on copper fungicide use.

“Slow Food says ‘yes’ to limits on copper,” read the title of a post on the advocacy group’s website.

Earlier this summer, the European Union signaled that it might reduce the allowable amount of copper fungicide from 6 kg per hectare per year to 4 kg. The announcement has concerned organic grape growers who rely on copper treatments to combat fungal diseases. Leading organic growers have spoken out against the move and many claim it will gravely affect their ability to farm organically, thus threatening their livelihood.

“We are in favor of the reduction in the quantity of copper allowable per hectare that the EU is currently discussing. We hope it will lead to broader efforts in research on alternative and supplemental products,” said in the statement agronomist Francesco Sottile, a member of Slow Food’s technical advisory committee and a professor at the Slow Food University in Bra, Piedmont (UniSG).

“We are faced with a delicate question and our association has to keep a balanced outlook,” he added.

“Copper is a heavy metal and as such it can damage the soil and the microorganisms that live in the soil as it accumulates in the ground and the water table. For this reason, limits on its use are advisable… Copper doesn’t leave a residue on fruit or vegetables because it gets washed away. But it remains in the environment and is therefore potentially harmful. As an association, we are concerned with what consumers eat. But we also need to watch out for potentially critical situations in the fields and for people who work on farms.”

The heavy metal has been used in vineyards for more than 150 years to prevent peronospora (downy mildew). First developed in France in the second half of the 19th century, the “Bordeaux Mixture” has become an essential tool for grape growers who do not employ synthetic fungicides.

“We are very concerned,” wrote Matilde Poggi, president of Italy’s Federation of Independent Grape Growers in May.

“For organic producers, there are no suitable alternatives to copper,” she noted in a press release issued by the group. The majority of its members are organic growers.

After a very rainy season in Northern Italy this year, at least one grape growers association requested and received authorization to increase the maximum amount of copper allowable, from 6 kg per hectare to 9 kg. Many are concerned that organic grape growing will become unsustainable if greater restrictions are implemented.

Image via the Slow Food blog. Disclosure: I am an adjunct professor at the Slow Food University of Gastronomic Sciences (UniSG) and I am also a senior editor of Slow Food’s forthcoming Slow Wine Guide to the Wines of Italy, Slovenia, California, and Oregon.

Above: “Bordeaux Mixture” — copper sulfate and lime — has been used to prevent downy mildew in vineyards for generations.

Europe’s organic and biodynamic grape growers are anxiously waiting to hear whether or not the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will further limit the use of copper fungicide.

Last week, the European Union’s Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (PAFF) Committee met to discuss new restrictions on fungicides, including “the approval of the active substance copper compounds” which are allowed in organic and biodynamic grape farming.

Currently, the EU allows the use of up to 6 kg per hectare per year. The committee is considering limiting the amount to 4 kg per hectare per year.

Ever since the committee designated copper sulphate as a “candidate for substitution” (EU parlance for more restrictive limits), organic wine growers in France and Italy have lobbied to maintain the current limit.

“We are very concerned,” wrote Matilde Poggi, president of Italy’s Federation of Independent Grape Growers in May.

“For organic producers, there are no suitable alternatives to copper,” she noted in a press release issued by the group.

The federation has lobbied Italy’s agriculture ministry to oppose the proposed change.

European wine growers have used copper as a fungicide since the late 19th century.

The so-called Bordeaux Mixture — copper sulphate mixed with lime — is sprayed in vineyards primarily to prevent downy mildew (peronospora). Although there is little concern that copper affects the safety of the end product, its presence in the water table can make the land unsuitable for agricultural use.

Copper is a heavy metal and can be toxic to humans and animals. Because it has been used for so long in Europe, EFSA fears that its accumulation is affecting the environment and farmland health.

“My job is to protect the public health,” said last month EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis who is leading the discussion on proposed restrictions.

“Alternatives to copper remain very limited,” countered Eric Andrieu, chair of the EU Committee on pesticides. Organic winemaking could be threatened by the proposed limit, he noted.

Image via Wikipedia Creative Commons.