"The situation is dramatic and the government has to do something, Fabre said. We cannot imagine that this sector that is so important for France will be abandoned, but if the government doesn't act then it is saying the wine and spirits industry is no longer important, which would be hard to believe. It would be like the German government saying it no longer cares about its car industry."
"Several thousand winegrowers turned up to a protest last weekend in the southern city of Beziers, calling on the government to come up with a rescue package to compensate for harvests hit by bad weather, rising costs and falling sales. Earlier this month the ministry of agriculture predicted this year's production would 3.6bn litres, the same as in 2024, which was also deemed a disastrous year."
French winemakers face an unprecedented series of setbacks that have weakened many businesses to the point of collapse. Several thousand winegrowers protested in Beziers to demand a government rescue package to compensate for harvests damaged by bad weather, rising costs and falling sales. The agriculture ministry forecast production at 3.6bn litres, matching 2024's disastrous output. Independent winemakers' president Jean-Marie Fabre said urgent action is needed to save up to a fifth of winegrowers and warned that abandoning the sector would amount to turning away from a key national industry. Recent shocks include tariffs, Covid, extreme weather and rising input costs.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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