Le Figaro Bordeaux
They said it, they did it.
At the end of February, the Viti 33 collective, which brings together many winegrowers from Gironde, announced its desire to block a logistics platform in the Bordeaux metropolis on Thursday March 7.
This has been done since this morning, with several dozen wine growers and around ten tractors blocking the Lidl distribution center in Cestas.
“
It is time to present to the French the repugnant practices of mass distribution and trading ,
”
explains the collective in its call to demonstrate.
Winegrowers criticize in particular
“
the low prices which are killing farmers
”
.
On February 22, these farmers had already blocked the Système U logistics center and targeted the traders of the GCF group (Grands Chais de France).
Two actions which
“
made it possible to show that we can mobilize quickly
”
, assures the Viti 33 collective, which further explains that
“
this action will be repeated as many times as necessary for the downstream to finally become aware of the need to
talk to each
other and build a future for all
.
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A multitude of crises in the wine sector
The downstream represents "
those who buy our agricultural products without worrying about whether we have anything left to eat
"
, specifies Viti 33. The German distribution company Lidl is targeted for offering bottles of Bordeaux wine at €1.89.
Prices which exasperate the farmers, who insist that charging such prices does not allow them to be paid well enough to make a living from their work.
In addition to the actions of Viti 33, the Gironde branches of Young Farmers and the FNSEA blocked the headquarters of the wine merchant Castel Frères on February 28, denouncing the barrel purchase price of wine in Bordeaux.
For several years, the largest AOC vineyard in France has faced numerous difficulties.
In December 2022, several hundred Bordeaux wine growers took to the streets in Bordeaux to demand a
“
social plan
”
, which resulted in the decision to uproot nearly 8,000 hectares of vines in Bordeaux for 57 million euros. , in order to fight against golden flavescence and above all to reduce production which has become surplus, in the face of the drop in French wine consumption.
In July 2023, 90% of Bordeaux vines were also affected by mildew.
An avalanche of annoyances, which pushes winegrowers to the limit.