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Around 6 percent of organic winegrowers in France are thinking about giving up organic farming within the next five years and going back to conventional farming. According to a survey by the Banque Populaire Caisse d'Épargne (BPCE), this concerns farms that are already certified and those that are in conversion.
At the same time, the number of wineries converting to organic farming is also decreasing. Thus, the share of organic wineries has only grown by two percent since 2021, and currently only six percent of wineries are considering conversion, which is a decrease of five percent compared to 2021. Other environmental certifications such as the Haute Valeur Environmentale (HVE) are also less in demand than two years ago.
The reasons given by the 384 respondents are increased demands on labour and investment in equipment. This would be unmanageable for many in the current inflation and sales crisis. In addition, the entire organic food market in France has been in a growth crisis for 18 months.
Thomas Vassel, head of development at Banque Populaire commented at a press conference that "Those who have just switched to organic are asking themselves questions in the face of inflation and economically challenging positions, as they are technically less aware of the processes." Nevertheless, there is a long-term trend towards more organic production, he said.
(al / source: vitisphere)