Dark side of France’s luxurious champagne industry Human trafficking trial over abuse of harvest labour kicks off

The working conditions of grape-pickers in France’s champagne industry are at the center of a human trafficking trial that began this week in the eastern city of Reims. Three individuals stand accused of exploiting more than 50 seasonal labourers, the majority of whom are undocumented migrants from West Africa.

The migrants were discovered during the September 2023 harvest living in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, according to a France24 report, in a building in Nesle-le-Repons, just southwest of Reims, at the heart of the Champagne region.

Their recruitment came via a WhatsApp message aimed at the Soninke ethnic community from West Africa living in Paris, offering "well-paid work" in the vineyards of Champagne.

The 57 workers — 48 men and nine women aged between 16 and 65 — were from Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, and Ivory Coast. Many have come to witness the proceedings this week.

"There was no clean water, and the only food was a bowl of rice and rotten sandwiches. I never thought the people who made champagne would put us up in a place which even animals would not accept," said 44-year-old Kanouitié Djakariayou in an interview with a French paper.

Labour inspectors who visited the premises described conditions that posed "a serious breach of the occupants’ safety, health and dignity," according to state prosecutor Annick Browne.

The prosecutors described squalid living conditions — open-air kitchens and dining areas, filthy toilets, unreliable hot water in the showers, and dangerous electrical wiring, all worsening the already harsh environment.

Workers were said to have worked 10-hour days with only a 30-minute break, transported while crouched in the backs of trucks. They received no formal contracts, and the wages paid did "not reflect the labour performed," prosecutors stated.

"The accused had a total disregard for human dignity," said Maxime Cessieux, a lawyer representing several of the exploited workers.

The lead suspect, a 44-year-old woman, operated a recruitment agency called Anavim that supplied vineyard labour. The two co-defendants were identified as her business partners.

Along with the primary charge of human trafficking, the main defendant is also accused of illegal employment, underpaying foreign workers, and housing them in uninhabitable accommodations. All three defendants could face up to seven years in prison and substantial fines if convicted.

Dark clouds over luxurious beverage industry's practices

The trial has renewed concerns over systemic exploitation in the €6 billion (£5.1 billion) champagne sector. Every grape must be harvested by hand, and each year, about 120,000 seasonal workers are brought in, often through agencies.

In 2023, six grape-pickers died from suspected heatstroke during the harvest season in Champagne and Beaujolais. Two recent court cases also found vineyard recruiters guilty of mistreating migrant workers.

Trade unions have criticized major champagne producers for distancing themselves from labour abuses by working through subcontractors. Some are calling for a law that would strip champagne producers of the protected "champagne" label if they are found to have indirectly employed illegal labour.

"It should not be possible to harvest the grapes of champagne using human misery," said CGT union spokesperson Jose Blanco.

However, the main trade group, Comité Champagne, insisted such abuses are rare and immediately halted when found.

The Comité is participating in the trial as a civil plaintiff, citing the reputational "damage done to the brand" by these “unacceptable practices.”

By Nazrin Sadigova