NFU welcomes no restrictions for UK wine growers‏

NFU Brussels has ensured an early Christmas present for UK wine growers after the Council of the European Union agreed not to impose planting bans in the UK.

The wine reform agreed at the Agriculture Council on Wednesday keeps producers out of the potentially restrictive planting ban scheme, which would have stopped the planting of new vineyards across the UK at a cost of more than £130 million to the industry (1).

The NFU worked with UK wine producer organisations including the UK Vineyard Association to lobby against the restrictions.

NFU horticulture board chairman Richard Hirst said: "The real danger of the scheme was to stifle the award winning UK wine industry, which is enjoying considerable expansion with every wine season. If put into place the additional red tape would have seen growers allowed to only plant up to a set area, regardless of consumer demand, which flies in the face of the basis of the new Common Agricultural Policy.

"Now UK wine growers are in a position to expand the market in line with growing consumer demand and put themselves on the worldwide wine map."