Are farm to fork strategy goals reasonable and achievable? State of the art of Península de Setubal’s winegrowers

AVIPE, R. D. João de Castro, 12 loja, 2950-206 Palmela, Portugal

^* Corresponding author: miguel.cachao@avipe.pt

Abstract

The European Union’s “farm to fork” strategy sets out several objectives to be achieved by farmers, who, among others, relate to increasing biodiversity, protecting soils and reducing the use of pesticides. The use of pesticides in 235 winegrowers in the Palmela region was evaluated between 2016 and 2021. To support some of the answers, a socio-economic survey was also carried out. The data analysed included the number of treatments, the dosages used, compliance with the pre-harvest interval, the reason why winegrowers performed phytosanitary treatment and how they chose a pesticide. In addition, residue analyses were carried out at the entrance of the grapes into the winery to assess whether the MRL was exceeded and whether were not authorised pesticides were used in the vine. For each year, it was found that, on average, farmers spray seven times, although the trend was to decrease and the most used pesticide belong to groups 3 (Triazol), according to the FRAC Codes. It was concluded that fear of diseases and pests and “empirical experience” sometimes go beyond knowledge and technology. In addition, the weak valorisation of grapes and discouragement with the implementation of some poorly reported strategies are factors that fuel the concern about the difficulty in achieving the goals.