UAGA has made public this Tuesday a serious warning about "the vulnerability of the wine sector" in light of the decision of some wineries not to collect the grapes from the grape growers. According to the agricultural union, this situation opens the door for certain companies to attempt to buy the grapes at prices lower than the actual production costs.
Through a statement, the organization has demanded that the Basque Government "act immediately to prevent grape growers from being forced to sell their production at a loss," urging it to intervene without waiting for each producer to file individual complaints.
UAGA has also emphasized the need to strictly respect the Food Chain Law, "which establishes that contracts must guarantee prices that cover production costs," and has stressed that any purchase and sale in which the amount is below those costs must be subject to investigation.
In this regard, the union has called for the implementation of ex officio inspections that allow for the detection of grape purchase operations contrary to the regulations. Likewise, it has demanded a much more rigorous control of contracts, "which must be formalized before the delivery of the grapes, with prices and conditions clearly established."
"We are tired of inspections always seeming to fall on the farmer and the rancher. If there is a regulation that protects the producer, the administrations must also enforce it at the other end of the chain," lamented the agricultural organization.
At the same time, UAGA has warned that if the production of quality grapes ceases to be economically viable for grape growers, "many family farms will not have the capacity to continue and the abandonment of vineyards will be a reality in the region."
For all these reasons, the union has appealed to all competent institutions and the rest of the agents in the wine chain to promote "an action plan that includes effective structural measures capable of recovering the profitability of the farms, guaranteeing the future of grape growers," as well as "maintaining and reinforcing the wine heritage of Rioja Alavesa."