European farmers have launched a number of audacious protests in recent months, with tractors blocking motorways and dumping manure on roads. However, the farmers have been dealt a new devastating blow as a key EU export – wine – suffered its worst harvest in 62 years.
The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), representing 75 percent of the world’s vineyard area, revealed that wine harvests had dried up across most of Europe.
In the EU bloc, wine production declined by 10 percent last year – the second-lowest recorded volume of wine this century. The figures are even worse than initial estimates made in November.
Agricultural experts blamed climate change and “extreme environmental conditions” including droughts and fires that have been driving the downward trend in production.
They also blamed heavy rain for causing flooding and fungal diseases across major wine-producing regions.
France is the only European country to buck the falling harvest trend, with a four percent rise in the past year, making it by far the world’s biggest wine producer.
Italy was one of the wine-producing countries that suffered the most with a 23 percent drop in its harvest.
Spain lost over a fifth of its production, while harvests outside of Europe, in Chile and South Africa, were also down by more than 10 percent.
Surprisingly, India – not known for its vineyards – entered the global top 10 grape producers for the first time.
The crisis in harvesting grapes comes as experts warn that regular droughts could become the ‘new normal’ across the Mediterranean by mid-century due to climate change.
To compound the problem, analysis found that wine consumption had also dropped to its lowest level since 1996.
The Portuguese, French and Italians remain the world’s biggest wine drinkers per capita but the rising cost of living has put a dent in worldwide purchasing trends.
There was also a sharp drop in wine drinking in China due to the economic slowdown in the country.
