The national health security agency launches an investigation into pesticides in the vines

In the heart of Beaujolais, in the town of Perréon (Rhône), many houses are nested in the vineyard plots. The nursery school is also located on the edge of the vineyards, and some parents wonder about the risks of exposure. “On the days when there are treatments, we are careful not to open the windows, not to let the children go outside”, confides a mother. The national health security agency (HANDLES) will launch a study to measure the explosion of populations using pesticides in wine-growing areas.

At the head of a 50 hectare estate, the winegrower Pierre-Marie Chermette is in favor of this study. He claims a targeted use of treatments, and no massive spraying. “We do the treatments with a very small machine, the treatment products remain on the vine”, he explains. Michel Faure, of the Coquelicots Val de Saône-Beaujolais association, is also delighted, but regrets the delays that are too long. “These studies take years to produce their conclusions“, he recalls. The survey will be carried out on six wine-growing regions. The results are not expected before 2024.