We all know that fresh produce retailers have very exacting specifications on how crops are managed to avoid any breach of maximum residue levels (MRLs) and suppliers must demonstrate their adherence to all the rules.

So, is viticulture faced with the same scrutiny? Does growing grapes to make wine require less attention to how crop protection is applied?

Increasingly wine consumers expect a total commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability both in vineyards and wineries.

Recognising consumer trends and avoiding problems experienced by other countries as their wine industry developed is a central purpose for trade body Wines of Great Britain (WineGB).

It has set out an ambitious long-term sustainability programme to measure and reduce the industry’s carbon footprint and regenerate the natural environment to enhance biodiversity throughout Britain’s vineyards.

Certis Belchim UK has a particular focus on viticulture and much to offer the industry to meet this ambition.

From the late 1990’s, Certis Belchim has been in the vanguard of helping growers integrate biologicals into Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programmes for pests and disease.

For ten years, our Growing for the future (G4TF) initiative has been helping growers of fresh produce meet retailer requirements in Spain.

Recently, the need for the development and support on uptake of IPM in Europe has been heightened by the EU’s 2020 ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy, which is at the heart of the European Green Deal.

‘Farm to Fork’ pesticide targets aim to reduce the overall use and risk of chemical pesticides by 50% and the use of more hazardous pesticides by 50% by 2030.

In the UK, our strategy will build on the IPM work we are already undertaking with our customers by introducing the G4TF practices from Spain and adapting the protocols to UK growing systems, climate, and product availability.

We will achieve this by developing crop protection programmes integrating the use of biorationals (also referred to as biological pesticides) with conventional chemistry, without compromising efficacy or profitability.

The second step of our strategy is to continue our commitment to leading the development and introduction of biorationals to provide growers with effective alternatives to chemically synthesised active substances, in particular insecticides.

Biorational products have to go through the same due diligence testing as chemically synthesised active substances in order to be registered by the UK Health and Safety Executive’s Chemicals Regulations Directorate.

Our colleagues in Spain have recently added vines to the crops investigated for the G4TF initiative.

Trials in a Spanish Chardonnay vineyard deployed our IPM zero residues programme (G4TF Zero Residues) and organic farming programme (G4TF Organic) to control the different pests and diseases present in the vineyard, then compared them with the grower’s standard programme.

Results were encouraging.

Efficiency of the G4TF protocols for pest and disease control proved to be equal to the grower’s conventional one.

The use of synthetic chemical active ingredients was reduced by 33% in IPM growing and by 100% in organic growing.

Looking at residues, there was a 50% reduction overall with the IPM approach due to the reduction in synthetic chemistry.

Where any residue was detected, it was less than 30% of the EU MRL. This is important, as some supermarkets enforce stricter MRL protocols, and it shows the Certis Belchim IPM approach can help meet tougher retailer requirements.

To further test the G4TF protocols in vineyards with conditions more similar to those in the UK, we are continuing development work in the main countries of wine production, extending to Portugal, France and to Germany in 2024.

I am confident any learnings from our colleagues across Europe will inform the UK G4TF strategy and help guide UK growers in their crop protection approach.

The purpose of G4TF is to underpin IPM principles with science, giving growers and agronomists confidence in their IPM programmes.

Responses to the WineGB’s 2023 Harvest Survey highlighted that vine growers were experiencing greater challenges with control of Botrytis, mildew, and Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) last year compared with 2022.

The difference was significant for mildew and SWD, as 27% of survey respondents reported losing crop to mildew outbreaks (16% in 2022) and 49% said their vineyard was affected by SWD in 2023 (compared to only 17% in 2022).

As viticulture experts, we provide biorational and conventional solutions to secure and enhance your crop, plus the expertise to help develop innovative IPM strategies.

We have just updated our comprehensive 10-page Successful vine-growing guide for 2024, which is available online for free and provides the most up-to-date advice for growers and managers.

Further to control of pests and diseases, the guide covers other vital factors to consider in vine-growing like nutrition, weed control and hygiene.

You can’t always avoid pests and diseases, of course, but left unchecked, they can cause severe losses in the current crop and in following years.

But with Certis Belchim, growers have key tools and the technical support they need to keep them under firm control.