Conegliano Valdobbiadene bans glyphosate in its vineyards

By Lisa Riley

The Consorzio of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG has forbidden the use of glyphosate in its vineyards.

The move, which makes Conegliano Valdobbiadene the largest wine zone in Europe to ban the usage of glyphosate, is the result of several years of research and discussions between the Consorzio and the region's 15 local councils.

The ban has been made in the context of the Consorzio’s integrated ‘Viticultural Protocol’, which was launched in 2011 comprising a set of guidelines tailored for wine producers in the region, and which advises producers on how to adopt viticulture that reduces inputs in favour of environmentally sustainable approaches.

The Consorzio said it was “particularly proud” that the ban, legally imposed by the local governments within its Denomination, had come about thanks to a "close dialogue between the Consortium and these bodies”.

“The ban on the use of glyphosate makes the advice we give to the growers on sustainable, alternative vineyard management, such as the use of mechanical mowing, increasingly necessary,” said Innocente Nardi, president of the Consorzio.

“Our area is a unique test-bed for environmental sustainability in Italy, due to its ability to bring together all of the stakeholders involved. Further proof of this synergy is the gradual adoption - by all of the communes in the Denomination - of the advice contained in the Consortium’s Viticultural Protocol in drawing up their individual municipal regulations regarding the general countryside”.

The next step for sustainability in the region is an ambitious new project to achieve official certification for producers through the independent Sistema Qualità Nazionale Produzione Integrata (SQNPI) scheme.