The Australian wine peasants’ revolt is underway. The grape growers of Australia’s Murray Basin are stirring. The street blockade by tractors, harvesters and trucks at Renmark on Wednesday is surely just the beginning of direct action.
Dozens of farmers and vineyard contractors drove through the South Australian Riverland town in trucks, tractors and harvesters on Wednesday morning, ABC Rural reported, before blocking both lanes of traffic in front of a hotel.
The region, about 200 kilometres north east of Adelaide, is home to more than 900 growers that contribute about $400 million to the national economy.
It’s time that were are not treated like peasants
Demonstration organiser Sava Giahgias
“People are going broke,” demonstration organiser Savia Giahgis told the ABC.
“Growers cannot grow grapes for a third of the cost of production.
“It’s time that were are not treated like peasants, and that we are treated like business people.”
Mr Giahgias, said he wantes to raise awareness about the unsustainability of an industry where farmers are paid below the cost of production for their grapes.
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt does not seem to understand the extent of the industry’ problem. His spokesperson is still trying to pretend the problem for Australia’s wine industry was the collapse of the China market.
What nonsense. For a start the Minister should read our post How We Destroyed Murray Basin Wines. That explains how his government authority Wine Australia allowed self proclaimed wine experts to pretend wines from dry grown vines were better than those produced with irrigation.
