(Wine) - At a special meeting of the Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trade Association’s (WIETA) board convened against the backdrop of the protest action, its members issued a statement supporting the right to freedom of association and reaffirmed the WIETA Code principle of a living wage. Speaking on behalf of the WIETA board, chairperson Mzukisi Mooi said: "The current protests by workers within the agricultural sector highlight the urgent need to establish a culture of fair and ethical farming that is both socially and economically sustainable. It was against this background that WIETA, a non profit organisation, was established in 2002, primarily as a way to assist workers and producers to understand their rights and abide by their responsibilities.”