A calm, almost sombre procession marched through the streets of Béziers, like a dull cry of alarm. At the call of the Aude Grape Growers’ Union, the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA) and Young Farmers, 4,000 people, according to the prefecture of Hérault – more than 7,000, according to the organizers – marched in the town of Biter.
“Grape growers are exhausted and, most importantly, there are fewer and fewer of us working”explains Frédéric Rouanet, former president of the Aude union, with 4,000 members. It is true that the sector is suffering from several concurrent crises: a general decline in wine consumption, climate catastrophe (characterized by recurrent droughts), foreign competition and the loss of natural resources. “an avalanche of standards and taxes that will kill us”said Jérôme Despey, national vice president of FNSEA.
As a result, many estates closed or were not passed down to children as in the past, and hundreds of winegrowers wanted to uproot, in part or in whole, their vines. In the Occitanie region alone, 5,000 hectares of land have been destroyed, with a premium per hectare removed of 4,000 euros.
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