During a visit to the Valescure estate, in Aimargues, the prefect of Gard met representatives of wine growers. They did not fail to point out the difficulties encountered by the sector.
It is a visit that takes place every year, a tradition during which elected officials and representatives of the administration go to meet wine growers. For the latter, it is an opportunity to take stock of the difficulties encountered by the sector and to present them to the prefect. Precisely, the state representative in Gard, Jérôme Bonet, was able to hear the grievances of local wine growers. Firstly on the uprooting of vines. With a total budget of 120 million euros, this system aims to finance the reduction of wine-growing potential by permanently uprooting vines in production, with an aid amount of €4,000 per hectare.
The cellar treasuries are in agony, we are all naked.
Anthony Bafoil (President of the Gard cooperative cellars)
« The priorities will be those who tear off in full. We believe that the envelope will not be substantial enough. We will send the message to the prefect », explains Anthony Bafoil. The president of the Gard cooperative cellars warns of the critical situation of winegrowers: “The cellar treasuries are in agony, we are all naked. The bills piled up. People are at an impasse. We need clear, concise and precise answers. “. There is no shortage of concerns for wine growers, for example the problem of water. “ With the three spring floods of the Rhône, if we had taken one day of the flood, we would have three years of water storage for Gard agriculture », notes Pierre Jauffret, the President of the independent winegrowers of Gard.
The wine industry faces many difficulties. • Photo: Norman Jardin.
The latter protests against the commercial practices of supermarkets: “ French supermarkets are trying to make money on the backs of farmers and this is not normal. We all have an interest in making money. If we no longer delivered to large retailers for three months and we sold on the roundabout right in front of their homes, we would see how they would cope. ».
The best ideas will come from the sector, rather than from the prefect.
Jérôme Bonet (prefect of Gard)
For his part, Jérôme Bonet, the prefect of Gard, wanted to be reassuring: “ We must give a future to this sector and be inspired by those who innovate. There is a future that is not the disappearance of the vineyard. The best ideas will come from the sector, rather than from the prefect. We have wine growers who are really in difficulty and I hoped, with the Chamber of Agriculture, that we work to help those who are in the most difficulty and those who are lost in the procedures, can already receive answers in a very concrete way.”
Water scarcity is a major issue for wine growers. • Photo: Norman Jardin
Wine growers today want action, otherwise they could show their anger in the streets at the end of the year, as Anthony Bafoil explains: “ We are under pressure and at one point things will explode. We need answers by December. Otherwise, people will take to the streets, we will not be able to hold them and the public authorities will have to take responsibility. » The prefect of Gard, who left with a few bottles offered by the winegrowers, was informed.
