We’re also thrilled to share with you our refreshed Strategic Plan. This Vinehealth Australia Strategic Plan: Towards 2020 sets out four clear strategies for addressing the biosecurity challenges that we face.

Protecting vineyards against pests and diseases including phylloxera has never been more challenging. Increased global trade and tourism, agricultural expansion and intensification, urbanisation and climate change are increasing our biosecurity exposure.

Phylloxera is being detected in more vineyards. And Australia has experienced a tripling in the number of exotic plant pest incursions in the past seven years.

This is an important plan to respond to increasing global biosecurity pressures, which are being driven by circumstances beyond the control of grapegrowers.

For each strategy we have developed a number of objectives and for each of these we have defined what success looks like.

Goals of this plan are:

  1. Phylloxera is contained within existing Phylloxera Infested Zones (PIZ) in Australia.
  2. Exotic pests are prevented from entering vineyards in Australia.
  3. In the event of an exotic pest or phylloxera incursion in a vineyard, the pest is eradicated or contained and the impact on grape and wine assets minimised.
  4. Effective management of high priority endemic pests of vineyards.
  5. A rigorous biosecurity system to enable market access, export growth, inbound tourism and to protect the asset value of vineyards.

This Strategic Plan has been developed to support growers and winemakers achieve their strategic goals and objectives. It aligns with state and national biosecurity strategies and South Australia’s key economic priorities, including ‘Premium food and wine produced in our clean environment and exported to the world’.

Look out for the Strategic Plan in the coming months.