Living and working conditions for more than 50 Champagne harvest workers, including undocumented migrants, have been the focus of a high-profile human trafficking trial in France.
A criminal court in Châlons-en-Champagne this week sentenced three defendants to prison sentences of varying severity, according to French media.
Charges related to the treatment of workers recruited to pick grapes for the 2023 harvest, and regional trade body the Comité Champagne joined the prosecution as a civil plaintiff.
One victim reportedly told the court that workers were treated ‘like slaves’.
Video footage published by France 3 / France Télévisions showed the poor state of the workers’ accommodation in Nesle-le-Repons.
There was no running water or electricity and the group was required to work 12-hour days, from 7am to 7pm, with ‘rotten sandwiches’ offered for food, one victim said.
Three defendants were convicted on human trafficking charges.
One of them, a woman from Kyrgyzstan in her 40s who was director of a service agency, was sentenced to four years in prison – with two years suspended, according to France24 / Agence France Presse. The report said her lawyer described the ruling as unfair and added she would appeal.
Two men in their 30s also received part-suspended prison sentences, and the defendants were ordered to pay €4,000 to each victim, the report said.
‘Zero tolerance’
Following the case, the Comité Champagne said, ‘We have already said this, and we will say it again: the events that occurred in 2023 are serious and unacceptable.
‘They required an appropriate response, and sanctions were taken accordingly. We had a duty to stand by the victims.’
It added, ‘You do not play around with the health and safety of seasonal workers. Nor do you play around with the reputation of our appellation.’
Officials said they won’t hesitate to join the prosecution on such cases, if required.
‘Our position remains unchanged: zero tolerance for this type of behaviour,’ the Comité Champagne said. ‘We will systematically act as a civil party if any further cases lead to legal proceedings.’
Last year, the Comité Champagne and other regional partners launched a new action plan designed to better safeguard harvest workers in Champagne vineyards.
Named ‘Together for the Champagne harvest’, the plan emerged from a working group set up in October 2023 to examine health and safety guidance for seasonal workers.
Around 120,000 seasonal workers help to pick and process grapes in Champagne each year.
