The fallout from last December's freeze, that saw temperatures in the Okanagan dip to minus 30 C, has the potential to cut this year's grape and wine production by between 39 per cent and 56 per cent, with direct revenue losses of up to $145 million, said Miles Prodan, Wine Growers B.C. president.
The impact would be severe, immediate and long-lasting, he said, hitting harvests, output, revenue and jobs. An industry-commissioned survey concluded the impact of the "climate-change related" freeze could result in the loss of 381 jobs, representing a 20 per cent reduction in the industry's workforce, Prodan said.
"It looks as though we are … only going to have 50 per cent of our crop from previous years," Prodan said. "Not only are we down 30 per cent overall over the last several years, but this year, specifically, we're down 50 per cent."