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Local France
6 days ago
- Business
- Local France
Champagne makers cut harvest as global outlook fizzles out
The marketable yield limit for the 2025 harvest has been set at 9,000 kilos per hectare, down from 10,000 kilos per hectare last year, the Comite Champagne said. The new target, one of the lowest in years, comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on French wine and spirits. 'Thanks to generally mild weather conditions, the vines have benefited from an environment conducive to their development,' the Comite Champagne said in a statement. However, 'geopolitical and economic instability, combined with increasingly volatile consumer behaviour, makes forecasts more complex.' Although champagne sales 'are relatively stable', the economic uncertainty 'is prompting the industry to exercise caution', said the association, which represents 16,000 winegrowers and 350 champagne houses. In 2024, the marketable yield was set at 10,000 kilos per hectare to take into account declining sales, down from 11,400 kilos per hectare in 2023. Advertisement During a meeting to prepare for the harvest in mid-July, local prefect Henri Prevost indicated that around 120,000 people were expected to take part in the grape harvest in the Champagne wine region in the northeast of France. The harvest is expected to begin between August 20th and August 25th. On Monday, a French court jailed three people for human trafficking in the champagne industry, exploiting seasonal workers and housing them in appalling conditions. READ ALSO French court jails three in Champagne 'slaves' trial The Champagne region is under tough scrutiny, with another inquiry looking into the use of Ukrainians during the same 2023 harvest, which was marked by exceptional heat and the death of four grape pickers. 'We saw contractors who sometimes recruited grape pickers at the last minute, and organisations that were set up and disappeared very quickly,' Prevost said. 'Today, a lot of work has been done to structure this profession and ensure that working conditions and standards are respected.'
Local France
22-07-2025
- Local France
French court jails three in Champagne ‘slaves' trial
The Champagne region is under tough scrutiny, with another inquiry looking into alleged exploitation of Ukrainians during the same 2023 harvest, a summer marked by exceptional heat and the death of four grape pickers. A lawyer for the victims – more than 50 mostly undocumented migrant workers from Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Senegal – said the court had made a 'historic' decision. The victims, who said they had been treated 'like slaves', also welcomed the ruling. 'The people were working in really bad conditions, and this decision is fair,' said Amadou Diallo, a 39-year-old from Senegal. The court sentenced the director of a servicing company called Anavim, a Kyrgyz woman in her forties, to two years behind bars, and another two years suspended. She had denied being responsible for the housing conditions, and blamed the two other defendants suspected of recruiting the harvesters. The court sentenced the two others, both men in their thirties, to one year in jail, alongside suspended terms. All three were found guilty of human trafficking – defined under French law as 'recruiting, transporting, transferring, housing or receiving a person to exploit them', by means of coerced employment, abusing a position of authority, abusing a vulnerable situation or in exchange of payment or benefits. The Anavim director was also found guilty of crimes including concealing employment of workers. The court in Chalons-en-Champagne dissolved the servicing company and ordered a wine-making cooperative it worked with to pay a €75,000 fine. The court ordered the three guilty to pay €4,000 each to every victim. Advertisement A lawyer for the Anavim director called the ruling 'unfair' and said there would be an appeal. 'My client is the ideal culprit for an industry that has long turned a blind eye to its own practices,' said Bruno Questel. Maxime Cessieux, an attorney for the victims, said the 2025 harvest, 'will be closely scrutinised and no one will be able to say, 'I didn't know, I didn't understand, I didn't know who these people in my vineyards were'.' In September 2023, the labour inspectorate found that accommodation provided by Anavim for grape pickers southwest of Reims 'seriously undermined' their safety, health and dignity. The accommodation was subsequently closed by the prefecture, which had pointed to makeshift bedding and, 'the appalling state of the toilets, washrooms and communal areas'. Camara Sikou, one of the victims, told the court the workers had been treated 'like slaves'. 'They put us in an abandoned building, with no food, no water, no nothing,' added Modibo Sidibe, who said the workers were in the fields from 5am until 6pm. The Comite Champagne, which represents winegrowers and champagne houses, was a plaintiff in the trial. Advertisement 'You don't play with the health and safety of seasonal workers. Nor are we playing with the image of our appellation,' the trade association said. The CGT champagne trade union said the punishment was not sufficient. 'What we are asking for is the downgrading of the harvest,' in zones where the offences were committed so it could no longer be used to produce champagne, said Jose Blanco, CGT general secretary. Every year, around 120,000 seasonal workers are recruited to pick the grapes grown across 34,000 hectares in the Champagne region. In 2023, four harvesters died, possibly the result of sunstroke after working in scorching heat. A service provider and its manager will go on trial in November on suspicion of having housed 40 Ukrainians in unfit conditions.
NZ Herald
22-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Trio jailed for human trafficking in the champagne industry, exploiting seasonal workers
The court sentenced the director of a servicing company called Anavim, a Kyrgyz woman in her 40s, to two years behind bars, and another two years suspended. She had denied being responsible for the housing conditions and blamed the two other defendants suspected of recruiting the harvesters. The court sentenced the two others, both men in their 30s, to one year in jail, alongside suspended terms. All three were found guilty of human trafficking - defined under French law as 'recruiting, transporting, transferring, housing or receiving a person to exploit them', by means of coerced employment, abusing a position of authority, abusing a vulnerable situation or in exchange of payment or benefits. The Anavim director was also found guilty of crimes including concealing employment of workers. The court in Chalons-en-Champagne dissolved the servicing company and ordered a wine-making co-operative it worked with to pay a €75,000 ($147,000) fine. The court ordered the three guilty to pay €4000 each to each victim. A lawyer for the Anavim director called the ruling 'unfair' and said there would be an appeal. 'My client is the ideal culprit for an industry that has long turned a blind eye to its own practices,' said Bruno Questel. 'Like slaves' Maxime Cessieux, a lawyer for the victims, said the 2025 harvest 'will be closely scrutinised and no one will be able to say 'I didn't know, I didn't understand, I didn't know who these people in my vineyards were'.' In September 2023, the labour inspectorate found that the accommodation provided by Anavim for grape pickers southwest of Reims 'seriously undermined' their safety, health and dignity. The accommodation was subsequently closed by the prefecture, which had pointed to makeshift bedding and 'the appalling state of the toilets, washrooms, and communal areas.' Camara Sikou, one of the victims, told the court the workers had been treated 'like slaves'. 'They put us in an abandoned building, with no food, no water, no nothing,' added Modibo Sidibe, who said the workers were in the fields from 5am until 6pm. The Comite Champagne, which represents winegrowers and champagne houses, was a plaintiff in the trial. 'You don't play with the health and safety of seasonal workers. Nor are we playing with the image of our appellation,' the trade association said. The CGT champagne trade union said the punishment was not sufficient. 'What we are asking for is the downgrading of the harvest' in the zones where the offences were committed so it could no longer be used to produce champagne, said Jose Blanco, CGT general secretary. Every year, around 120,000 seasonal workers are recruited to pick the grapes grown across 34,000ha in the Champagne region. In 2023, four harvesters died, possibly the result of sunstroke after working in scorching heat. A service provider and its manager will go on trial in November on suspicion of having housed 40 Ukrainians in unfit conditions. -Agence France-Presse
Int'l Business Times
22-07-2025
- Int'l Business Times
France Jails Three In Champagne 'Slaves' Case
A French court on Monday jailed three people for human trafficking in the champagne industry, exploiting seasonal workers and housing them in appalling conditions. The Champagne region is under tough scrutiny, with another inquiry looking into the use of Ukrainians during the same 2023 harvest, which was marked by exceptional heat and the death of four grape pickers. A lawyer for the victims -- more than 50 mostly undocumented migrant workers from Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Senegal -- said the court had made a "historic" decision. The victims, who said they had been treated "like slaves", also praised the ruling. "The people were working in really bad conditions, and this decision is fair," said Amadou Diallo, a 39-year-old from Senegal. The court sentenced the director of a servicing company called Anavim, a Kyrgyz woman in her forties, to two years behind bars, and another two years suspended. She had denied being responsible for the housing conditions, and blamed the two other defendants suspected of recruiting the harvesters. The court sentenced the two others, both men in their thirties, to one year in jail, alongside suspended terms. All three were found guilty of human trafficking -- defined under French law as "recruiting, transporting, transferring, housing or receiving a person to exploit them," by means of coerced employment, abusing a position of authority, abusing a vulnerable situation or in exchange of payment or benefits. The Anavim director was also found guilty of crimes including concealing employment of workers. The court in Chalons-en-Champagne dissolved the servicing company and ordered a wine-making cooperative it worked with to pay a 75,000-euro ($87,000) fine. The court ordered the three guilty to pay 4,000 euros each to each victim. A lawyer for the Anavim director called the ruling "unfair" and said there would be an appeal. "My client is the ideal culprit for an industry that has long turned a blind eye to its own practices," said Bruno Questel. Maxime Cessieux, an attorney for the victims, said the 2025 harvest "will be closely scrutinised and no one will be able to say 'I didn't know, I didn't understand, I didn't know who these people in my vineyards were'." In September 2023, the labour inspectorate found that the accommodation provided by Anavim for grape pickers southwest of Reims "seriously undermined" their safety, health and dignity. The accommodation was subsequently closed by the prefecture, which had pointed to makeshift bedding and "the appalling state of the toilets, washrooms and communal areas." Camara Sikou, one of the victims, told the court the workers had been treated "like slaves." "They put us in an abandoned building, with no food, no water, no nothing," added Modibo Sidibe, who said the workers were in the fields from 5.00am until 6.00pm. The Comite Champagne, which represents winegrowers and champagne houses, was a plaintiff in the trial. "You don't play with the health and safety of seasonal workers. Nor are we playing with the image of our appellation," the trade association said. The CGT champagne trade union said the punishment was not sufficient. "What we are asking for is the downgrading of the harvest" in the zones where the offences were committed so it could no longer be used to produce champagne, said Jose Blanco, CGT general secretary. Every year, around 120,000 seasonal workers are recruited to pick the grapes grown across 34,000 hectares (84,000 acres) in the Champagne region. In 2023, four harvesters died, possibly the result of sunstroke after working in scorching heat. A service provider and its manager will go on trial in November on suspicion of having housed 40 Ukrainians in unfit conditions.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Trump's tariffs threaten to take the fizz out of Champagne's crucial US market
Champagne producers in northeastern France need to find new markets after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened 30 per cent tariffs on EU exports, the chairman of a French industry group said, suggesting Brazil, Southeast Asia and South Africa as options. The U.S. is the biggest market for champagne with 10 per cent of champagne exports by volume and 15 per cent by value and producers say the tariffs will push up prices for consumers and threaten jobs all along the supply chain, including in the United States. "The repercussions for all family champagne exports will be severe because it will mean lost income from bottle sales, which will also affect the grape harvest quotas we will be allowed to collect," said Stephane Vignon , whose family has been producing Champagne in Verzenay since 1946. With 70 per cent of champagne sales currently concentrated in just five countries, tariffs should push producers to seek new markets, said Maxime Toubart, chairman of industry group Comite Champagne (Champagne Committee). He said France's cognac industry , which is mainly reliant on exports to China and the U.S. where it could also face duties, provides a cautionary tale for champagne producers on the need to diversify. But replacing U.S. sales is not easy, he said. "We can't just say we'll sell three million fewer bottles in the U.S. and put them in Japan instead. So actually, there is no alternative today to this fall in volume," he said. Total champagne exports fell more than 10 per cent last year but rose slightly in the first four months of 2025 ahead of a 10 per cent tariff in April, farm office FranceAgriMer said. "If tomorrow the 30 per cent tariff is implemented, I think it will definitely impact the relationship," said Hugo Drappier of the Drappier Champagne house. "We've always managed to build a relationship of trust with our clients through the quality of our wines ... Let's hope that relationship isn't broken."
