French champagne makers face human trafficking trial
The Chalons-en-Champagne criminal court in eastern France will judge the three defendants for their suspected mistreatment of the workers from Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Senegal.
A woman, director of the viticultural servicing company Anavim, will be tried on charges of human trafficking, submitting vulnerable or dependent persons to undignified housing conditions and employment of foreign nationals without authorisation.
Both Anavim, the company that provided the housing, and a viticultural cooperative in the Marne will be tried as moral parties by the court.
Two men will also be judged on suspicion of employing the seasonal workers.
After a neighbour alerted the French police, investigators inspected the living conditions of the harvesters, according to prosecutor Annick Browne.
The housing in the village of Nesle-le-Repons contained 'worn and dirty sanitation facilities', outdoor kitchen and living areas that were unprotected from the weather and bedding strewn on the floor.
The accommodation also failed to respect electrical security measures, the prosecutor said at a press conference on Monday.
In September 2023, the Marne regional authorities had ordered the closure of the accommodation provided by Anavim, citing 'unsanitary' and 'undignified' living conditions.
According to a report conducted by the labour inspectorate, the accommodation was in a state of 'dilapidation', and the toilets and shared living spaces were 'disgusting' due to lack of cleaning, said the authorities.
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The defendants 'have a total contempt' and disrespect for 'human dignity', said the lawyer of the victims, Maxime Cessieux.
The Champagne Committee, which represents 16,200 winemakers, 130 cooperatives and 370 champagne houses, will participate as a civil party in the trial – a first for legal proceedings concerning the living conditions of seasonal workers.
The committee is 'firmly opposed to these unacceptable practices', said director Charles Goemaere in a statement in March.
Every year, around 120,000 seasonal workers are brought in the region to handpick grapes grown across 34,000 hectares (84,000 acres) and used to make the iconic sparkling wine.
The famed winemakers' reputation took a hit in 2023. Four grape harvesters in the region died that year, and were believed to have suffered sunstroke after working in scorching heat.
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'The public should be made aware of the extent of human trafficking in the agricultural sector, and producers should know that they may face legal procedures,' said David Desgranges, vice-president of the Committee Against Modern Slavery (CCEM).
French law defines human trafficking as 'recruiting, transporting, transferring, housing or receiving a person to exploit them', by means of coerced employment, abusing a position of authority, abusing a vulnerable situation or in exchange of payment or benefits.
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