Ministry of Agriculture: Administrative burdens for grape and wine producers to be further reduced

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According to the statement, the new rules will make the everyday life of grape and wine producers easier. The measures were developed by the Ministry of Agriculture with the involvement of farmers, the National Council of Mountain Villages and the relevant state offices, taking into account the producers’ proposals – they wrote. The change affecting grape growers is that the application period for new planting permits has been brought forward to spring plantings, and a new autumn period is also opening. Grape growers without a cellar can sell the wine they contract out to a licensed winery from their own grapes, they wrote. “We will eliminate the double inspection of planting and felling in the case of plantations renewed through restructuring. Furthermore, a soil protection plan will not be mandatory for grape plantings under 1,500 square meters, and soil protection plans no older than five years can be used for larger plantings. The validity period of the grape replanting permit will be extended to six years,” they informed. The amendment affecting winemakers is that from 2026, the harvest of grapes grown and processed by the winery does not need to be reported separately, it is enough to provide the amount of new wine. Furthermore, the Muskotály name can also be used on wines made from Traminer. “We will make the issuance of the certificate of origin required by EU customs regulations, which is required for exports, a one-stop shop and free of charge, and will then be digitalized from 2026,” the ministry announced.

In addition, the administration of wine-making contract work performed outside Hungary will be simplified

These wines can be exported and returned without being placed on the market under the supervision of the wine authority and the mountain judge from next year. The sensory evaluation of products without geographical indications will be simplified and faster. We are developing official flat rates for nutritional labeling. “We will extend the discount for sparkling wine production to items that are not fermented in bottles. Furthermore, the rules on protection of origin will be more flexible to modify, and in the future, opinions on these will be available electronically instead of in mountain village assemblies,” they announced. The aim of the simplifications is to make the operation of the wine sector more flexible, to reduce the time required for official administration, and to enable producers to follow market changes more effectively. The new rules also facilitate adaptation to changing external circumstances. The process of reducing administration does not end there. One of the lessons learned from the work of recent years is that regulations need to be continuously examined and analyzed, and the rules need to be adapted to daily practice, the statement reads.

MTI