France jails three for exploiting migrant labour in Champagne harvest

CNA

21-07-2025

CHLONS-EN-CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE: A French court on Monday (July 21) sentenced three people to jail for human trafficking in the Champagne region, ruling they exploited dozens of seasonal migrant workers and housed them in appalling conditions during the 2023 grape harvest.
The trial, which centred on a company called Anavim, highlighted growing scrutiny over labour practices in the wine-making sector. A separate investigation is also probing the alleged use of undocumented Ukrainian workers in the same harvest, which was marked by intense heat and the deaths of four grape pickers.
More than 50 victims, mostly undocumented migrants from Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Senegal, told the court they had been treated 'like slaves.'
'LIKE SLAVES,' NO FOOD OR WATER
'The people were working in really bad conditions, and this decision is fair,' said Amadou Diallo, a 39-year-old Senegalese man.
The court sentenced the Kyrgyz director of Anavim to two years in prison, plus a two-year suspended term. She denied responsibility for the housing, blaming two male associates who helped recruit the workers. The two men, both in their thirties, were each sentenced to one year in jail with additional suspended terms.
All three were convicted of human trafficking, defined under French law as exploiting a person through coercion, authority, vulnerability, or for payment. The Anavim director was also convicted of concealing the employment of undocumented workers.
The court ordered the dissolution of Anavim and imposed a €75,000 (US$87,000) fine on a wine-making cooperative that worked with the firm. The three defendants must pay €4,000 to each victim.
A lawyer for the Anavim director said the ruling was 'unfair' and would be appealed. 'My client is the ideal culprit for an industry that has long turned a blind eye to its own practices,' said defence lawyer Bruno Questel.
HARVEST UNDER SCRUTINY
Victims recounted grim details of their experience. 'They put us in an abandoned building, with no food, no water, no nothing,' said Modibo Sidibe, who described 13-hour workdays in the vineyards.
Labour inspectors who visited the workers' accommodation in September 2023 described conditions that 'seriously undermined' health and dignity. Authorities later closed the building, citing makeshift bedding and 'the appalling state of the toilets, washrooms and communal areas.'
Maxime Cessieux, a lawyer for the victims, said the verdict marked a turning point. 'The 2025 harvest will be closely scrutinised, and no one will be able to say 'I didn't know',' he said.
INDUSTRY REACTION AND DEMANDS
The Comité Champagne, which represents growers and producers, was a plaintiff in the case. 'You don't play with the health and safety of seasonal workers,' it said in a statement. 'Nor are we playing with the image of our appellation.'
However, the CGT Champagne trade union said the punishment did not go far enough. Its general secretary, Jose Blanco, called for downgrading the harvest from areas where violations occurred, so the grapes could not be used in champagne production.
Each year, around 120,000 seasonal workers are hired to pick grapes across 34,000 hectares in the Champagne region.