Quietly, at the call of Young Farmers and the Departmental Federation of Farmers' Unions, an operation was carried out in a supermarket in Bagnols to denounce the low prices charged on wine.
This Monday, November 4, the Young Farmers of Gard as well as the Departmental Federation of Farmers' Unions (FDSEA) of Gard led an action aimed at denouncing the devaluation of their products by mass distribution brands.
The appointment was made at the Lidl store, where bottles of Côte du Rhône appellation are sold for €1.99. “We would like to shine a light on these senseless practices. The prices offered by the store are not viable for us. €1.99 barely covers the price of the empty bottle. More than half of the farms in Gard fail to be profitable,” castigates Romain Angelras, president of the JA du Gard.
The price offered by the discount giant forces competing brands to align and causes a collapse in prices, which drags the market down. Furthermore, the global geopolitical context is very unfavorable for exports and the weather conditions did not allow for a good harvest this year. “We had a lot of rain in the spring. Many plots were affected by the disease. We are increasingly asked to pay attention to the environment and integrate ecological approaches into our production. The specifications are heavy, prices continue to fall. 2025 is going to be very hard financially,” continues Romain Angelras.
“No theft, no breakage”
Damien Gilles, president of the Côtes du Rhône winegrowers' union, explains, for his part, that several alerts had already been issued: “I hope that today our protest will resonate. We cannot let our profession deteriorate like this. We are killing our French heritage. »
Around thirty farmers were present during this action. None call for mobilization had been launched to avoid any overflow. The watchword was “no theft, no breakage”. The demonstration took place peacefully under the watchful eye of Anthony Da Silva, the director of the Aldi store, who ensures: “The Bagnols-sur-Cèze store is not responsible for the prices charged by the brand. »
M. P.
