Two municipal associations in Bordeaux are investing nearly one million euros to prevent cleared vineyards from lying fallow. They want to support the affected winemakers and enable them to find new uses for the land. This is reported by the French magazine Vitisphere.

The municipal associations Castillon-Pujols and Libournais have investigated what other forms of management exist for cleared vineyard areas in their region. The study lasted a year and cost 150,000 euros. It resulted in seven new perspectives for agricultural use.

For the cultivation of hemp or olives and for poultry farming, the study recommends local cooperatives to share the costs of a decortication plant, an oil press, or a slaughterhouse, each of which costs several hundred thousand euros. For the cultivation of kiwis, plums, apples, and reed plants, the municipalities themselves want to provide 800,000 euros. "Our region is facing more of a structural than a cyclical crisis," says Philippe Buisson, president of the Libournais municipal association. The goal is therefore to "open up an additional source of income for our winemakers who can no longer make a living from viticulture." However, all new agricultural crops require a land consolidation beforehand.

The municipal associations Castillon-Pujols and Libournais together encompass 76 municipalities in the departments of Gironde and Dordogne. Over 2,400 hectares of vineyards in their area are affected by clearings. In total, 19,000 hectares of vineyard area have been cleared in the Bordeaux wine region over the past three years. The clearing of an additional 7,000 to 8,000 hectares is considered likely.

(cs)

More on the topic:

Public land authority to buy Bordeaux vineyards

France supports vineyard clearings with 130 million euros

Bordeaux winemakers want to clear another 4,000 hectares of vineyards