Advertisement

France to declare agricultural disaster over spring frosts that damaged vineyards

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
France to declare agricultural disaster over spring frosts that damaged vineyards
A winegrower burns a bale of straw in the vineyards to protect them from frost on April 7, 2021 as the sun rises at the heart of the Vouvray vineyard in Touraine. (Photo by GUILLAUME SOUVANT / AFP)

The French government is to declare an agricultural disaster over an unusual early spring frost that has damaged crops and vines across the country, the agriculture minister said.

Advertisement

Julien Denormandie told Franceinfo radio late on Thursday that the cold snap had been "particularly difficult" for the sector with "significant losses" registered.

"We are completely mobilised so that the accompanying measures can be put in place as quickly as possible," he said.

"Specifically, we will implement a regime of agricultural disaster," saying tax breaks could be envisaged as well as help from banks and insurance and warning that more cold weather could be on the way.

He said the situation was "quite exceptional", with vineyards hit but also other crops like beet and rapeseed also affected.

In a bid to ward off the frost, French winemakers have lit thousands of small fires which have caused a layer of smog in the southeast of the country.

IN PICTURES French vineyards ablaze with candles in bid to ward off frosts

Advertisement

Smoke rising from fires lit in the vineyards to protect them from frost at the heart of the Vouvray vineyard in Touraine. Photo by GUILLAUME SOUVANT / AFP

The practice of lighting fires or candles near vines or fruit trees to prevent the formation of frost is a long-standing technique used in early spring when the first green shoots are vulnerable to the cold.

Whole hillsides look as if they are ablaze, creating a striking visual effect, with winemakers scrambling this week as temperatures plunged to below freezing, particularly in the fertile Rhone valley in southeast France.

The CNIV national winemakers' association warned the situation is "one of the most serious in recent decades" and will cut production of the year.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also