France will in future have fewer copper products to choose from to protect its vines against the serious fungal disease mildiou. ANSES (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail – National Agency for Food Safety, Environment and Work Environment) has chosen not to renew the authorisation for a variety of copper products.
This worries winegrowers and not least those who work organically because for them there are no alternatives to copper. Those that are still permitted are considered by many to be far too weak. But even conventional growers are concerned because they also use copper, often in combination with a synthetic product.
The products that have not been approved are considered by ANSES to be risky for the people who carry out the spraying. Although natural products, so-called biocontrol or sustainable plant protection, are constantly being developed, there is currently no other product that can replace copper.
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