The harvest tour of the prefect of Aude Christian Pouget ended in Trèbes. A wine tour during which the professionals provided a very worrying overview of the situation: drought, mildew, harvest, yield and above all lack of water.
After Camplong, Lézignan-Corbières, the prefect of Aude Christian Pouget ended his day in Trèbes, this Friday, September 27, with the winegrowers of the Golden Triangle.
Christian Pouget and Philippe Vergnes, president of the Chamber of Agriculture, went to meet cooperative and independent wine growers, accompanied by representatives of the sector, elected officials and the state services concerned, to take stock of the harvest and address current issues.
Marc Dezarnaud, president of the Vignerons du Triangle d’or, welcomed everyone, thanked the prefect for his presence on the ground and mentioned that two-thirds of the 2024 harvests were carried out in his sector.
Marc Dezarnaud got to the heart of the matter: “From Carcassonne to the sea, we are heading towards disaster. Our potential is 65,000 hectos, we hope to reach 49,000… we find ourselves facing the lowest yield historically. Farmers are on the verge of implosion. These are my 34th harvests and I have never experienced such a situation. Even the plants can no longer survive.
Climate change, slowdown in sales or even a drop in consumption. Drought, hail, loss of production, mortality rate of vines: “We are dying; we want immediate answers.”
The subject of water at the heart of the discussion
Vital, major problem: water. “I planted almond trees, pistachio trees, truffle oaks, without water: nothing grows… If we want life in the soil, we need water.”
The long-discussed drilling is a short-term solution. Of course, things are evolving, the regional advisor was talking about plans, including the Water plan put in place.
Régis Banquet, president of Carcassonne-agglo recognized that things had been done even if the 9 irrigation projects put in place are not sufficient today and said he was ready to get to work alongside the State.
Alain Ginies, deputy vice-president for agriculture and tourism at the Department, explained: “We have launched studies since 2018, we were in advance since we were told about global warming for 2030… It arrived in 2023!”.
In conclusion, the prefect reaffirmed his attachment to the wine industry, which serves regional planning, the economy, employment, which gives rhythm to rural life: “The State remains mobilized and attentive to overcome this crisis as quickly as possible. As soon as harvest declarations are received, we will be able to measure the extent of the losses and set an amount for the wine emergency fund. But we must be honestly, the political configuration is complicated today.”
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