Osurprise operation before dawn this Thursday, December 19 at the Maison Parsat wine merchant in Eymet, in Périgord, a stone’s throw from Lot-et-Garonne. Around a hundred members of the Rural Coordination (CR) of Lot-et-Garonne, Dordogne and Gironde want to control the origin of the wine. The merchant is suspected of importing large volumes of Spanish wines while the wine cellars of the region’s wine growers are overflowing and the grubbing plans number thousands of hectares.
Tempers are heating up
In the moonlit night, we stand ready to intervene as soon as a Spanish tanker points its bumper. “Come on, it’s okay, let’s go!” », says Karine Duc, co-president of CR 47. Immediately, light vehicles surround the company. The men in the yellow caps raise a large curtained gate from which a pipe comes out connected to the Spanish truck. Tempers get a little heated with an employee. The police are already there. And the tension falls while waiting for the arrival of business manager Jean-Marc Parsat, then on his way to Carcassonne where he must negotiate with major retailers.
“It’s always the fault of others and we die”
“We know that there are at least eight Spanish semi-trailers that arrive here every Thursday. That’s at least 5,800 hl per week,” points out a winegrower. Some people want to empty the contents of the truck onto the asphalt. Jean-Marc Parsat is now here. It announces that it is also in difficulty, with 7 million euros in market losses in recent months with mass distribution. “I too am on the brink. »
Rural Coordination operation in Eymet (24) at the wine merchant Parsat accused of selling Spanish wine in large quantities. Around a hundred members of CR 24, 47 and 33 block the site. The police are on site. #CR47 #angryfarmers
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— j-jamet.bsky.social (@j-jamet.bsky.social) December 19, 2024 at 8:03 a.m.
The merchant assures that he buys a barrel of red Bergerac between 850 and 930 euros. He also admits to importing around 30% Spanish wines. “No, I don’t earn more with it,” he defends himself. But when I go to see Carrefour, Leclerc, Intermarché, Casino, Système U…, French wines represent 7 or 8% of the business. And if you arrive with wines from Spain, you have 25% or 30%. »
“This is unacceptable! »
“It’s always other people’s fault and we’re dying,” says a yellow cap. CR representatives demand access to company records to verify the volumes of Spanish wines. Jean-Marc Parsat negotiates, then gives in against the promise of meeting again later in a less tense context.
A Spanish wine tanker truck blocked by members of CR 47.
J.J.
“What we discovered is that Spanish wines actually represent 60% of the volumes. This is unacceptable! », storms José Pérez, the other figure of CR 47. “It is the consumer who decides, pleads the trader. The French no longer have the means to pay more than 4 or 6 euros for a bottle. I’m just a small trader. If I stop making Spanish wine, I will close the company and sacrifice 35 employees and their families. »
See you in January
The two parties agree to meet again on January 28, 2025, at the Chamber of Agriculture of Lot-et-Garonne, to set up a French wine bib brand with a floor price for winegrowers. The initiative of this “bib resurrection” has already been launched on a small scale this year by Maison Parsat and seven winegrowers who were able to sell their wine for 1,150 euros per barrel.
The idea now is to think bigger by involving other traders and other producers. “Distributors will have to play the game,” warns Jean-Marc Parsat.
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