A significant human trafficking trial has opened in the French city of Reims, casting a harsh light on the often-hidden exploitation of seasonal workers vital to the country’s lucrative champagne industry. The case centres on the alleged mistreatment of over 50 vulnerable labourers during the crucial 2023 grape harvest.
At the heart of the proceedings are accusations against three individuals: a woman from Kyrgyzstan, a man from Georgia, and a French national. They stand accused of exploiting more than fifty seasonal workers, predominantly undocumented migrants from West African nations such as Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, and Senegal.
Recruitment and Deception
The workers, aged between 16 and 65, were reportedly lured to the Champagne region through a seemingly innocuous WhatsApp group message targeting the West African Soninke community in Paris. The message promised “well-paid work,” a stark contrast to the grim reality they would soon face.
Instead of decent employment, the migrants were found living in horrific conditions in a building located in Nesle-le-Repons, southwest of Reims, deep within the celebrated champagne countryside.
Squalid Living Conditions Exposed
Worker testimonies paint a picture of utter degradation. “They shouted at us in Russian and crammed us into this broken-down house, with mattresses on the floor,” recounted Kanouitié Djakariayou, 44, to local media. “There was no clean water, and the only food was a bowl of rice and rotten sandwiches.”
Another worker, Doumbia Mamadou, 45, described the trauma: “What we lived through there was truly terrible… we have had no psychological support, because when you have no papers, you have no rights either.”
Labour inspectors, alerted by a concerned local resident a week into the harvest, documented conditions state prosecutor Annick Browne described as a “serious breach of the occupants’ safety, health and dignity.” Key findings included:
Living and eating areas exposed to the elements.
Filthy and inadequate toilets.
Showers with only intermittent hot water.
Hazardous electrical installations.
Severe overcrowding with workers sleeping on mattresses on floors.
Harsh Labour Practices
Beyond the squalid accommodation, workers were subjected to gruelling labour. They reportedly worked ten hours a day with only a brief 30-minute lunch break. Transportation to the vineyards involved squatting in the back of trucks. They had no written contracts, and the prosecution alleges the pay received bore “no relation to the work performed.”
Maxime Cessieux, representing some of the migrants, condemned the actions of the accused, stating they showed a “total disregard for human dignity.”
The Accused and the Charges
The alleged ringleader, identified as 44-year-old Svetlana G., reportedly ran a recruitment agency named Anavim, which specialised in sourcing labour for the wine sector. She and her two associates face severe charges, including human trafficking, undeclared labour, employing foreigners without permits, inadequate pay, and housing vulnerable individuals in unfit conditions. If convicted, they could face up to seven years in prison and substantial fines.
A Systemic Problem in a €6 Billion Industry
This trial isn’t an isolated incident; it underscores deeper, systemic issues within France’s prosperous €6 billion champagne industry. The sector is heavily reliant on an estimated 120,000 seasonal labourers each autumn for the crucial hand-picking process, with many recruited via intermediaries.
The exploitation exposed in Reims reflects a broader “dark side” of the industry, where vulnerable migrant workers are sometimes subjected to slavery-like conditions. Past reports and trials reveal workers living in inadequate housing like shacks or tents, receiving extremely low wages, and enduring appalling working conditions, sometimes relying on painkillers to cope. Cases of workers being cheated out of wages have also surfaced.
Experts point to unscrupulous practices by recruitment agencies and complex layers of subcontracting, which can make it difficult to trace responsibility and have, in some instances, allowed major champagne producers to benefit indirectly from this severely exploited labour.
Tragically, the dangers are not limited to poor conditions. In 2023 alone, six grape pickers died from suspected heatstroke in the Champagne and Beaujolais regions. There have also been previous criminal convictions of agents found guilty of maltreating migrant workers (vendangeurs*).
Calls for Accountability and Industry Response
Trade unions, like the CGT, argue that some champagne houses use middlemen to distance themselves from these issues. They are advocating for legislative changes that would hold producers directly accountable, potentially allowing the prestigious “champagne” label to be revoked if illegal labour is used, even indirectly. As Jose Blanco of the CGT union put it, “It should not be possible to harvest the grapes of champagne using human misery.”
The main representative body for champagne producers, the Comité Champagne, maintains that worker mistreatment is rare and quickly addressed when discovered. The Comité Champagne is participating in the trial as a civil plaintiff, seeking to address the “damage done to the brand” by these “unacceptable practices.”
The trial in Reims serves as a critical moment, highlighting the urgent need to ensure ethical labour practices and transparency throughout the supply chain in one of France’s most iconic industries.
