Wine organisations in the South West of France have made a national request for grubbing-up aid.
Wine growing regions in the South West extend from the foothills of the Pyrenees to the Massif Central in south-central France, and all of them are facing significant challenges. In December 2023, FranceAgriMer revealed that domestic French wine consumption fell by almost 70% between the 1960s and 2022.
That’s only the beginning of the problems. The average age of vineyard owners is 55, with many looking to retire, while climate change is bringing frosts, droughts and excessive rains.
“We are losing volumes and therefore, we are having difficulty supplying markets,” Paul Fabre, director of the Interprofession des Vins du Sud Ouest (IVSO), told La Tribune, which published a lengthy report on the situation this week.
Christopher Bou, co-president of the IVSO, told author Elis Centis that the request for aid would not only help people retire, it would help those who want to replant grape varieties more suited to the new climate realities — and would help others uproot their vines.
Nationally, the French government has committed to €150 million in aid, partly financed by Brussels. Farmers who want to remove vines permanently will receive €4,000. Those who want to uproot temporarily could receive €2,500, with the opportunity to replant in four years.
So far, according to the article, only “5.5% of winegrowers responded” to the call; this represents only 3,000 ha out of the total 42,000, not counting Bergerac and Duras. The vineyards likely to be affected are the large, red grape vineyards, particularly in Cahors, Gaillac, Fronton and Buzet.
The IVSO has also invested in research programs to help growers. Other projects focus on marketing and packaging, decarbonising and increasing biodiversity.
