How the wine industry is addressing labour standards in vineyards
As scrutiny of vineyard labour practices intensifies, James Bayley explores how the Champagne region — led by Comité Champagne — is working with state authorities, growers and service providers to strengthen protections for seasonal workers and uphold the industry’s reputation.
While seasonal work is a long-established and essential part of viticulture, evolving expectations around social sustainability have prompted producers and institutions alike to reassess not only their responsibilities but also the systems in place to ensure safe, fair and legally compliant employment.
The Champagne region, renowned for its prestige and international reach, has taken a leading role in addressing concerns and reinforcing standards. In 2024, the Comité Champagne — the interprofessional body representing Champagne growers and houses — launched a multi-stakeholder programme to monitor harvest practices and support the welfare of seasonal workers.
As a spokesperson for Comité Champagne told db, “The Comité Champagne condemn any tragedies that take place, particularly during harvest, and the co-presidents of Comité Champagne have publicly vocalised that it is out of the question that any unacceptable behaviour puts any individual at risk, and tarnishes the reputation of the entire industry.”
Backed by the Prefect of the Marne department, more than 100 meetings were held in 2024 involving all relevant authorities and stakeholders: from vineyard service providers and grower representatives to labour inspection agencies, police, firefighters, Mutualité Sociale Agricole (MSA) and France Travail.
The outcome was a long-term framework known as “Together for the Champagne Harvest”. This initiative, the Comité says, aims to set out clear expectations for both employers and service providers, ensuring that recruitment, working conditions, health and safety, and accommodation are addressed in a coordinated and transparent way.
Practical tools and real-time oversight
A central element of this initiative is VitiArgos, a digital platform designed to assist producers in evaluating the compliance of third-party contractors. “It reminds employers of the main regulations to follow so they can question and reassure themselves as to the compliance of their practices,” the Comité explains. “It enables employers to check their service providers’ registration and their level of commitment before signing a contract. Once signed this commitment becomes enforceable and secures the agreement between both parties.”
By harvest time, 145 service providers had registered on VitiArgos, collectively representing around 21,000 seasonal workers. Meanwhile, over 6,000 consultations of online labour guidance were recorded, and a dedicated France Travail unit of 10 staff helped fill 75% of harvest roles via a streamlined, centralised system.
Day-to-day oversight is also a key part of the Champagne approach. During the 2024 harvest, an operational monitoring group — under the authority of the Marne Prefecture — met daily to assess conditions on the ground. This enabled enhanced, targeted inspections and quick responses to any issues.
While the Comité is clear that there is no such thing as “zero risk”, the aim is to act with transparency, responsibility and continual improvement. “The industry aims to assist each producer with their progress plan, but to also identify and deal with any unusual situation, with support from public authorities, to ensure that the health and safety of seasonal workers is respected,” a spokesperson said.
When asked how the region enforces its “zero tolerance” stance on labour violations, the Comité pointed to tightened public controls, daily monitoring, and increased scrutiny of accommodation standards. Where rules are broken, the organisation supports full accountability. “Anyone found guilty or not following the rules will be heavily investigated by the relevant authorities,” the spokesperson noted. “Comité Champagne will also join as a civil party, in cases that lead to legal action.”
While the idea of linking labour compliance to appellation eligibility has been discussed in public forums, the Comité says no formal decision has been made, though “different hypotheses” are being explored as part of its ongoing strategy.
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Fairtrade’s position in global vineyard certification
The push for stronger labour standards in Europe comes as other global wine regions face similar scrutiny. However, Fairtrade — one of the most recognisable ethical certification schemes — currently has no certified vineyards in Europe.
“Fairtrade represents farmers and workers in Africa and the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. We do not have certified farms (vineyards) in Europe,” a Fairtrade spokesperson confirmed to db. “We have 45 certified producer organisations, 16 of whom are located in Argentina and Chile. Fairtrade certified vineyards earned about €2.2 million in Fairtrade Premium, which is extra money earned on top of the selling price that farmers and workers decide how to invest in their businesses or local communities.”
“Our independent certifier FLOCERT conducts regular audits of all Fairtrade certified organisations,” they added. “If a non-compliance is found, the organisation is required to propose and implement corrective measures, which FLOCERT then verifies to ensure compliance before certification is confirmed.”
“Fairtrade does not have a wine Standard, but instead, wine falls under the Hired Labour Standard,” the spokesperson explained. “The Hired Labour Standard aligns with the International Labour Organisation’s conventions working to ensure decent working conditions such as fair wages, freedom of association, and protection from child and forced labour.”
While no living wage benchmarks currently exist for wine, Fairtrade says it continues to support broader efforts around living incomes through its global programmes. Learn more here.
Broader context: France and beyond
Outside Champagne, France has seen an uptick in legal cases addressing labour law compliance in agricultural sectors, including viticulture. Public prosecutors in Bordeaux, for instance, have dealt with a series of cases involving seasonal workers, primarily migrants from North Africa and Eastern Europe. These have typically centred on unregulated subcontracting and insufficient living conditions — issues that authorities and regional wine bodies have begun addressing more assertively.
Industry-wide, there is growing recognition that complex labour supply chains — particularly those involving third-party contractors — require additional safeguards to prevent abuse and ensure accountability. This is a sentiment echoed beyond France, with countries like Spain, Italy and parts of South America grappling with similar structural challenges.
Wherever exploitative practices are found, they are often the product of an over-reliance on opaque intermediaries and an under-resourced inspection framework rather than reflective of the sector as a whole. In many regions, producers themselves have called for better systems, clearer rules, and more proactive enforcement — all while continuing to rely on seasonal labour as an indispensable part of agricultural production.
Building a more resilient labour model
What emerges from the current moment is not a damning verdict on the wine world, but rather a necessary course correction. Institutions like Comité Champagne are investing time, resources and reputational capital in a future where the dignity and safety of seasonal workers are non-negotiable.
Importantly, the sector is not facing this in isolation. Collaboration between producers, unions, state services and NGOs has proven essential in recent reforms. In France, this coalition-based approach is increasingly being seen as the model for how complex rural labour ecosystems can evolve without sacrificing quality or tradition.
It is not difficult to imagine a near future in which appellations of origin are not just symbols of terroir and typicity but also of social sustainability and fair practice. In this context, wine’s reputation for integrity — from vineyard to cellar — can only be strengthened.
As we prepare for the next harvest, the hope is that these reforms will take root as deeply as the vines themselves.
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