« It’s a frost that will go down in the annals “. This Friday, April 9, the end of a crisis meeting in the presence of the prefect of Hrault, parliamentarians, the association of mayors and professional leaders, Jrme Despey, president of the Chamber of Agriculture of the Hrault presented an initial estimate of the impact of frost on the Hrault vineyards. ” This freezing episode is exceptional in its magnitude. 100% of our department’s vineyard is impacted. Some areas to the east of the department and in the Minervois are less affected with damage of less than 50%, but on most of the surfaces, losses are over 50% and reach more than 80% in some municipalities. It’s a disaster. The temperature has dropped to -8 ° C in some areas. Even in vines at the bud stage in cotton, we observe damage ».
5 million hl gone in smoke in one night
Chairman of the Agricultural Cooperation, Boris Calmette is no more optimistic: he announces a 2021 harvest halved in Languedoc-Roussillon: ” 5 million hl and € 500 million in turnover went up in smoke overnight. This shortfall will have enormous repercussions on the farms but also on the cooperative structures, whose wine-making costs will be doubled. The most dynamic young winegrowers, who have taken on debt, are the most vulnerable. We must find ways to help them He pleaded. The president of the FDSEA underlined the distress of the farmers following this freeze: “ We were inundated with calls. Some were in tears, others were disgusted … Their morale fell as low as the temperatures ».
Emergency measures
The Chamber of Agriculture immediately set up a crisis unit with a call number to support farmers in difficulty. It also sent a questionnaire by email to its 5,000 nationals to identify all the damage. In addition, a crisis meeting took place on Friday, April 9 in the morning in the presence of the prefect of Hrault, parliamentarians, the Association of Mayors and professional officials. ” We have asked all to mobilize to put in place emergency measures to support disaster farmers. », Specifies Jrme Despey. Exemption from the tax on unbuilt land, support for social contributions, white banking year with the postponement of all annuities … are the measures that have been mentioned. Jrme Despey also calls for a mobilization of the EMP and an extension beyond June 30.
No more crisis distillation
Another source of concern for professional managers is the risk of market share losses, particularly on export markets, due to this probable contraction in production volume. ” I appeal to everyone’s responsibility. We must initiate a consultation within the inter-professional organizations to prevent a surge in prices leading us out of the market. », Says Jrme Despey. The day before the freeze, the chairman of the French wine specialist council Agrimer was negotiating a crisis distillation. The sudden drop in temperatures has radically changed the situation.
–
