France supports vineyard clearances with 130 million euros

The French Ministry of Agriculture intends to support the clearing of vineyard areas with 130 million euros. This is reported by French media. Of the clearing aids, 70 million euros are earmarked for the year 2026. According to the French Institute for Agricultural and Marine Products FranceAgriMer, around 34,400 hectares of vineyards are currently eligible for clearing. These are mainly located in the south of the country. With the promised budget of 130 million euros, 32,500 hectares could be cleared. The Association of Protected Origin Wines and Spirits (CNAOC) estimates the unnecessary total vineyard area at 100,000 hectares, of which 47,000 hectares have already been cleared.

The “National Crisis Management Plan” by Minister of Agriculture Annie Genevard also provides for relief in social security contributions amounting to 15 million euros for the agricultural sector. The minister also plans to facilitate access to special loans for the industry and extend these until 2026. She further called on the EU Commission to release funds to finance the crisis distillation of unsellable wine surpluses. “This is not the umpteenth emergency plan intended to address a structural imbalance,” emphasized Genevard. Rather, this final clearing plan is an investment to give the wine regions a future again.

The announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture was preceded by demonstrations in southern France. Several thousand winemakers had demanded crisis aid from the government. The wine industry is suffering from declining consumption, the effects of climate change, as well as economic and political conflicts.

(cs; Sources: La Revue du Vin de France, Vitisphere, Terre des Vins)