RESOLUTION OENO 1/96

LEAD CONTENT IN WINES

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

ON THE PROPOSAL of Commission II "Enology" after advice of the Sub-Commission of Analysis Methods and the Sub-Commission "Nutrition and Health",

CONSIDERING lead is an undesirable element and that the improvement obtained through wine technology leads to a general decrease of lead in wines,

ASKS that the maximum lead content in wine be lowered to 0,20 mg/l., this measure being applied only to wines from harvests after the present decision,

RECOMMENDS that derogations be considered for wines subject to long periods of ageing when the wines respected this limit at the time of their elaboration,

INVITES experts from different countries to regularly contribute to the improvement of the O.I.V. data bank concerning the limitys of lead,

AGREES to suggest, in the years to come, a reduction of this limit, as soon as technological progress allows it,

• The ongoing studies on lead content in wines have lead to a progressive lowering of the maximum contents (1987: 0,30 mg/l, 1993: 0,250 mg/l); because of this, the Sub-Commission of Methods of Analysis in agreement with the Expert Group "Food security" (Sub-Commission "Nutrition and Health") suggests that the new proposition to lower the limit to 0,20 mg/l moves immediately to step 7, this case being well-known to the Member States, the passing of this new limit requires an immediate decision and nothing justifies a delay in this field of public health.