This year, too, there will be special harvest inspections to protect grape growers

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During the harvest, the authorities separately inspect wineries that process grapes in addition to vineyards, with the goal of protecting the interests of grape growers in 2023 as well. there may be a discrepancy between the buyer’s sugar content recorded at the time of handover, and the purchase documents and receipts do not record the must level measured at the time of delivery, but a lower value. This may adversely affect the sector’s law-abiding actors, as this practice may give rise to abuses during winemaking and thus have a negative effect on grape prices, he added. In order to prevent this, the National Council of Mountain Villages and the National Food Chain Safety Office launched a joint harvest control program in 2019. These checks proved to be effective, as the authorities found that the values indicated in the vintage documents corresponded to reality. In addition to the vineyards, the authorities also separately check the wineries that process the grapes during the harvest – highlighted Zsolt Feldman.

The state secretary explained that this year they also want to alleviate the market situation by opening the crisis mitigation support

In addition, the discounts provided to the sector in connection with the extended producer responsibility fee can collectively provide meaningful assistance to wineries in order to recognize the increase in production costs in the price of grapes. According to expectations, this year’s implementation of the control program will effectively contribute to the protection of the grape and wine industry, added Zsolt Feldman.

AM