American customs deepen the crisis in wine-growing, the Minister of Agriculture and Wine-growing, Ingmar Jung (47), he so called on the winemakers to take corrective action. "Our vineyards are on import: in exports due to trade conflicts and in the country due to falling consumption," said the CDU politician of the German Press Agency in Wiesbaden.
"This shows how urgently we request to open up fresh outlets, make innovative products and at the same time inspire consumers more erstwhile it comes to the quality of regional wines," said Jung just before the beginning of this year's vines.
According to the Ombudsman Olaf Streubiga , the situation of the winemakers will besides be the subject of the first gathering of all applicable national ministers active in wine production – on 20 and 21 November in the monastery of Eberbach in the Rheingau region of Hesse. It will be a fresh "independent platform beyond the Conference of Ministers of Agriculture".
"Our winemakers request planning security"
According to Streubig, introduced via USA A 15% import taxation on European wines will end in months of uncertainty, but inactive represents a dense burden. Minister Jung warns: “Our winemakers request planning security. Continuous tariff fluctuations destruct assurance in global partnerships".
Streubig explains the consequences of the U.S. customs duties: "Price increases origin increased consumption of wine in the US or must be offset by price reductions by wine-exporters exporting wine". Even US criminal duties of 25 percent introduced in 2019, during the first presidency Donald Trump, have led to crucial sales losses for national wine producers, despite price concessions.
Minister for Wine-growing Jung warns: “The duties increase the hazard that restaurants and importers who have previously placed our best Heskie wines on the list will withdraw. This would be a serious blow, especially for Rheingau.” According to Streubig, Riesling from this Hessen wine region "takes on a crucial niche in the US".
Hope for a fresh EU-US consultation
The Ombudsman adds that the forthcoming EU-US consultations may inactive open the door to concessions. Jung besides hopes for a fast and bureaucratic implementation of the planned EU wine package to support the wine industry: "We besides request fast and reliable support from the European Commission. Long procedures cannot slow down companies.”
According to Jung, only 42 percent of the wine consumed in Germany comes from home production: ‘We should improve this indicator in the interests of a strong wine manufacture – and not make fresh barriers to trade’. The Minister added: "The winemakers keep valuable cultural landscapes and are besides an crucial economical factor".
Wine consumption in Germany is mostly falling. With an ageing population, young people drink little wine – a trend towards soft drinks is observed. It is frequently said that older wine lovers restrict its intake for wellness reasons.
