Angry farmers: Vincent Brunet, winemaker, “what am I going to leave to my children ?”

Vincent Brunet, vigneron à Causses-et-Veyran, est inquiet quant à la transmission de la terre à son fils Silvio. G. R.

Vincent Brunet and his son Silvio, wine growers in Causses-et-Veyran, were involved in the angry farmers' demonstration this Friday, January 26. Meeting in front of the Montpellier prefecture where the father discusses his doubts about passing on his profession to his son.

Emotion comes through in Vincent Brunet's voice when he talks about his son Silvio. "He's seventeen, he leaves for work at 4 a.m., he's one of the last young people doing that. But what am I going to leave to my children?"

"I settled in 2000, explains the 44-year-old winemaker. I worked for two years and there was a crisis. My father uprooted twenty hectares. I went to work as an employee for nine years, because we couldn't live together from the vineyard.

The water problem

"Today, we have around forty hectares that we irrigate, but in years when it doesn't rain, it's hard. With the drop in yields, I wonder how long banks and insurance companies will follow us.

Silvio already has the vocation. "I grew up among tractors and vineyards, and I want to take over the family farm. But when we see the harvests diminishing and years where there is almost no rain, we wonder where agriculture is going and what we are going to do. I understand my father’s concern. He works hard for ever-decreasing returns…"

"Ten years since we last took a vacation"

"My son, I'm going to make sure that he has a BTS and the background to be a chef somewhere, Vincent continues. This year, it’s the baccalaureate, then the BTS and we’ll see how it goes. Transmission ? We will see if our cooperative cellar and Crédit Agricole follow us. Until now, they have always been behind us…"

Deep down, Vincent hopes that his son will have a life other than his. "My wife and I went years without going to a restaurant. This year, we had four days of vacation. It's been ten years since we left…"

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