“As an industry we have a long way to go, but we are doing much to improve and transform. A key way of achieving this was to establish WIETA which audits and encourages transformation across all areas of the wine business. While its goals are noble and its commitment undeniable, it is impossible for WIETA to police the entire industry on an ongoing basis. However, they are determined to continue their work and require the co-operation and support of both the local producer and the international consumer to achieve this.
The Tom Heinemann documentary is not objective but interviews a handful of people on a few farms to paint a very biased picture of the entire industry. Rather, our constitution champions progressive democracy where all sides of the story deserve to be considered and in this way misconduct can be identified and rooted out fairly and comprehensively.”
WIETA, Vinpro and Fairtrade have issued statements as follows:
• VINPRO statement sent out to their members yesterday morning (20 October)
• WIETA press statement
Click here (pdf) to read WOSA's response dated 10 October.