France removes 20 copper-based products for organic viticulture

The French agency for food, environmental and occupational health safety (ANSES) has not renewed the approval for 20 copper-containing fungicides. This poses a serious problem for organic winemakers in the fight against powdery and downy mildew, experts comment. The ban affects all powder formulations, as well as well-known products such as Kocide 2000 or Kocide Flow. Only two products – Champ Flo Ampli and Héliocuivre – remain authorized, but under much stricter conditions. This was reported by the French wine magazine Vitisphere. This year's wine will have a new price due to the more expensive harvest. The French food safety agency justifies its surprising decision according to the report with a potential health risk for winemakers: "The available data do not allow the exclusion of a risk of harmful effects for consumers." In addition, the justification states that the manufacturers have provided insufficient data on consumer safety alone. Reactions from the wine industry are ...