Overview

• The Koblenz Administrative Court rejected an urgent application by the Deutsche Umwelthilfe to halt helicopter fungicide treatments on steep Mosel vineyards.
• Judges concluded there are currently no comparable alternatives for effective steep-slope spraying and found scientific data on risks to the endangered Mosel-Apollo butterfly insufficient.
• Local winemakers expressed relief and viewed the decision as validation of their reliance on aerial treatments to combat vineyard fungal diseases.
• The Deutsche Umwelthilfe maintains that pesticides have driven the Apollo butterfly’s decline and is considering lodging a formal complaint against the court’s verdict.
• A separate ruling on the use of drones for pesticide application is still pending before regional authorities.