Farm-gate hygiene activities are site-specific biosecurity practices to minimise the risk of pest, disease and weed incursions on your property. Adherence to farm-gate hygiene systems should be part of your standard operating procedures and an expectation for staff, contractors and visitors throughout your vineyard, winery and cellar door.
Vintage is a peak biosecurity risk time with significant movement of people, machinery, equipment, grapes, grape products and diagnostic material potentially leading to the pickup and spread of pests, diseases and weeds. Insects such as grape phylloxera also move out of the soil and up into the vine canopy during this time of the year and therefore are at high risk of being moved.
Vinehealth Australia has compiled the top 10 farm-gate hygiene activities we believe you need to undertake to keep your vines safe. From providing staff training, to cleaning machinery, to disinfesting footwear, the activities are simple but effective.
You can review the farm-gate hygiene activities in either fact sheet or poster format.
Once you’ve reviewed the activities, ask yourself: are you biosecurity-ready? Can you answer ‘yes’ to all 10 statements?
We will address some specific farm-gate hygiene activities in more detail next month.