Examination of Witnesses (Questions 900
- 905)
WEDNESDAY 23 MAY 2007
MR CLAUDE MAILLEAU AND MR JACKY BONOTAUX
Q900 Lord Plumb:
I am a stock breeder and I am beginning to think that I should
start growing vines!
Mr Bonotaux: I quite agree with you because
if you look not at the sales of wine but the sales of vines, who
is interested in buying vineyards? Foreigners, headed by the Japanese,
followed by the banks, followed by the insurance companies. Before
you get excited, when I said that one hectare was currently €18,000,
that is for the bottom of the market. If you want a hectare in
Pomerol, which is not even the best but just adjoining Saint-Emilion,
it is not €18,000, it is €1 million per hectare.
Chairman: That is telling us something.
Lord Cameron of Dillington: If banks
are buying, then your industry is doomed!
Q901 Viscount Ullswater:
Could I just follow up with one question on grubbing-up. Does
the French Government support a scheme of grubbing-up to help
older people retire from the industry?
Mr Mailleau: If it were a properly measured,
concerted programme taking account of the necessary distinction
between vine growing areas of table wine as against AOC wines,
if it were measured, if it were concerted and properly thought
out, maybe.
Q902 Chairman:
We have heard that some producers are concerned that their ability
to compete with particularly New World wines is limited because
they are not allowed to engage in the same wine-making practices
as the New World producers. What is the attitude of the French
Government towards allowing European producers to compete on—a
dreadful term—a level playing field?
Mr Mailleau: As you know, new wine-producing
practices are discussed within a European programme but what happens
on a national level—it is not the government that lays down
the law, it only does so after ratifying the proposals that have
been fed up from the producers themselves after discussions with
their syndicates, et cetera. That can lead to some paradoxical
situations, such as the use of oak chips where grass roots said,
"We forbid this nationally but we may allow it in certain
niche areas". "We say no nationally but we say yes locally"
is one of the contradictions. They are saying, "We are capable
of managing our liberty but then we are frightened of our liberty.
We want our liberty but we want to be protected". That is
where we get into the delicacy and complexity of politics, as
you say.
Q903 Chairman:
I think that is a very, very astute observation! Any other comments
or questions? No. Is there anything that you feel you ought to
say to us that we are missing?
Mr Mailleau: I want a last word before I go
under the guillotine! A glass of Bordeaux, otherwise nothing!
Q904 Chairman:
We can all agree on that.
Mr Mailleau: No. I prefer to stay with my closing
words because, as a State representative, it is difficult to know
whether we should let them go on their own way or hold the reins.
Q905 Chairman:
I understand. Thank you very much indeed.
Mr Mailleau: Thank you. We apologise for not
having been crystal clear or precise in our answers to your questions
but we did our level best.
Chairman: No, that has been absolutely
perfect. You have given us a very clear idea of your position
and we all recognise that it is a very complex area. Thank you
very much.
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