French waste agency wins case of champagne

Friday, 22 October 2010 Officials from the French national radioactive waste management agency Andra may be tempted to pop a few champagne corks to celebrate winning a court case ... against champagne producers. The administrative court in Châlons-en-Champagne rejected a plea by the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) - a champagne trade association - to prevent Andra from continuing to store and dispose of low-level radioactive waste at its facility in Soulaines in France's Champagne-Ardenne region, decanter.com reported. The champagne producers feared that a leak at the facility could pose a threat to their vineyards. Andra convinced the judges that the site was safe and that its disposal and storage procedures adhere to authorised protocols. In a statement, CIVC's director Jean-Luc Barber said, "The CIVC accepts the decisions but will remain vigilant, going forward, to ensure the storage of radioactive waste conforms strictly with all rules. The tribunal recognises that the CIVC is competent to do this, and has an interest in this matter."