Environmental Study Part 2

German Press Agency report on the environmental study presented to the European Parliament in Brussels on March 26, 2008.

Pesticides found in red wine: "Shocking" or "harmless", depending on the way you look at it.

A Spätburgunder from Baden actually contains residues of ten different types of pesticides: a real pesticide cocktail. However, the limits were not exceeded in any of the wines tested. Whereas the Green Party called for stricter laws, the government warned against causing a panic.

The study also showed that conventionally produced wines contained considerably more pesticides than organic wines did. Whereas five of the six organic wines tested contained no chemical residue, pesticide was found in all of the 34 conventionally produced wines, according to those who did the test.

The price was not a factor in these cases: pesticides were found in two bottles of highest-quality French wines which were priced at more than 200 euros. In an organic wine produced in Burgundy in France, which gave cause for complaint, the testers were able to trace the chemical residue back to the pollution of the fields located next to the vineyards

PAN, the organization who initiated the wine analysis, is a network consisting of more than 600 organizations worldwide who deal mainly with environmental protection. This study was supported by groups such as Greenpeace Germany.

Source: hda/AFP URL: www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/0,1518,543553,00.html

Erich Hartl
hartl@weinpur.de
www.organicwinepure.com