The case of grape vines
It is estimated that without glyphosate production of grapes in the EU could decline by up to 4.7 million tons. A reduction of yield by 1-3% would be recorded for this crop.
At EU level, phasing out glyphosate in grape vines would translate into an increase of costs for the sector up to EUR 4.2 billion, resulting from both reduced agricultural output (and therefore revenue) and higher production costs.
A survey conducted among Italian farmers in 2017 forecasts an increase of production costs, in case of glyphosate phase out, of an average +177%. In particular, costs are estimated to increase by EUR 125 per hectare if alternative chemical substances were used and by EUR 263 per hectare if fully mechanical weed management was chosen as alternative to glyphosate.
References
- “Socio-economic value of glyphosate: A review of EU studies assessing the value of glyphosate to the agriculture industry”; L. Garcia-Perez, Harriet Illman, S. Wynn; 13 May 2020
- Agrinet2000, Weed costs and management – Result on a survey on a representative sample of Italian farmers