Ovocnářská unie České republiky, z.s.
OUČR
Union of Fruit Growers in the Czech Republic (OUČR) is professional non-governmental organisation representing more than 580 fruit-growers and fruit-tree nurserymen.
ID: 309975934546-56
Lobbying Activity
Response to Food and Feed Safety Simplification Omnibus
14 Oct 2025
Contribution of Czech Fruit Growers Union (Ovocnářská unie České republiky, z.s. (listed in EU Transparency Register under No. 309975934546-56) Situation within the Czech fruit-growing sector, actual situation within the crop protection and look outs in this area and opinion on necessary amendments to Regulation 1107/2009 leading to sustainable crop protection in next 10-20 years. Actual situation in CZ Fruit growing sector and devolopment in the sector In last 10 years area of Czech Fruit orchards decreased by 40%. Howewer, principles of integrated production has been succesfully applied for last 30 years and especially in last 15 years significant improvements in crop protection technologies has been applied, the sector has achieved its limits and nowdays starts to decline. Less and less growers in EU are able to produce fruits for affordable and competive prices within globalized World. One of biggest obstacle in production is lack of effective tools for crop protection, increasing resistence of pests and hardly predictable climatic ups and downs what causes in last years very often quick overpopulating of pest and disseases, which are hardly manageable. Apart from chemical treatments, lot of non-chemical tools has been introduced into crop protection schemes in recent years, but not for all pests and disseases already exists effective non-chemical alternatives or these alternatives are not aplicable or no sufficiently or completely non effective in given conditions . Also resistence of many geneticaly resistant varieties was broken and is not effective any more. Czech Fruit growers union welcome effort of EC to accerate and simplify introduction of new non-chemical alrenatives for crop protection, but apart from problems linked with their regstration is the fact that there are hardly any or only a few canditates to be registered (many of effective or at least partly tools has been already introduced into crop protection systems, but there are not plenty of another new options). With the existing portfolium of tools, which is permanently shrinking, become crop protection of many fruit species (but also vegetables, sugar beet, winter ripe, and other crops) not possible under economic reality of EU market, what absorb more and more imported products mainly from European countries out of EU, what are not in crop protection nor other growing practise restrictions limited. We expect within next 10-20 years new resistant varieties, which might replace existing sensitive varieties and also some completely new mechanisms of crop protection (e.g. based on transmiting mistaken sequences of pest DNA throughout double string RNA viruses) or potentially another tools allowing sustainable crop protection, but it is necessary to take into consideration time aspect. Because non of these new aproaches is legally possible in EU, our growers rely actually and will rely for next 10-20 years on highly effective chemical crop protection tools or their combinations with other non-chemical techniques according to principles of integrated production. Present situation with less and less active substances leeds to significantly increasing problems with resistence and overuse of products what are still on the market (including products approved for organic farming e.g. spinosad or resistence of virus based products). Present EU mechanism of approval and re-approval of active ingredients (and later also formulated products) leads to exclusion of so many active ingredients, that crop protection become within 2 years, when will be re-evaluated many of still effective active substances not manageable. Regarding to sustainable food production in EU we propose following amendments of existing system: See attached file.
Read full responseMeeting with Veronika Vrecionová (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair)
14 Jan 2025 · The future of the fruit sector
2 Nov 2022
The requirement to keep crop protection application records in the proposed format will lead to additional administrative burden on growers. For example, the grower does not know the EPPO codes in many cases and they are not even obliged to know the EPPO codes of crops or individual harmful organisms. So, they will therefore have to look for them (time consuming) or use consultants (financial demanding) to keep records. In many cases, it will not even be possible to apply these codes (e.g. in the protection of railway tracks against weeds, which is an absolutely necessary measure to ensure traffic safety, etc.) At the same time, this regulation creates duplication, as the obligation to keep records of the use of pesticides is also required by the Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the sustainable use of plant protection products and amending Regulation (EU) 2021/2115. Farmers cannot be burdened with more and more administration. Small farmers (e.g. up to 5 ha of cultivated area) should be exempted from the obligation to keep electronic records (administrative burden, marginal areas, marginal uses of plant protection product etc.)
Read full responseResponse to Sustainable use of pesticides – revision of the EU rules
15 Sept 2022
Thank you for the opportunity to express our position on the draft „Regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products“ (hereinafter the "Regulation"). We are a non-governmental organization that brings together and represents approximately 600 fruit growing entities (which is around 80% of all fruit growing entities in the Czech Republic)
As an organization closely connected with growing practice and consumers, we perceive all the needs of the value chain in its entirety: environment - food producer - business organization - consumer (consumer) - EU resident.
We perceive the legitimate demands of citizens for a permanent reduction in the use of pesticides and therefore consider the proposed initiative (reduction in the use of pesticides and the Regulation on the sustainable use of preparations) to be important.
However, in connection with the current multifactorial crisis, we also perceive other important needs of the population. These include, in particular, ensuring healthy, safe and affordable types of food while simultaneously ensuring food security and ensuring a fair and decent income for growers.
We present the important points of our position on the proposed Regulation in the attached document.
Read full responseResponse to Fruit and vegetables sectors - Recognition criteria of producer organisations and operational programmes
4 Jan 2021
This comment is written on behalf of Union of Fruit Growers in the Czech Republic (NGO).
We welcomme intention to simplyfy agenda of PO´s and modify appropriate statements regarding new EU strategies.
In this respect we support whole proposal of AREFLH
and second point of Deutscher Raifeisenverband e.V. concerning environmental measures - Actions on sustainable packaging should be eligible too // enabling the eligibility of sustainable packaging under the fruit and vegetable CMO scheme.
Usage and management of packaging aimed to reduce environmetal impact, food waste or emission should be eligible as environmetal measure.
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