Vinehealth Australia is seeking feedback from the wine and grape industries on a proposal to remove Grapevine Pinot gris virus (GPGV) as a declared pest under the Plant Health Act 2009 in South Australia.
This proposal follows the 2018 decision by the National Management Group that the virus was not technically feasible to eradicate from Australia. This decision included industry representatives and was made in part due to the presence of GPGV in New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.
Currently it is mandatory to report any suspicion of the presence of GPGV on grapevine material and there is a prohibition on the importation into South Australia of GPGV infected grapevine material along with restrictions on the sale or supply of any GPGV infected grapevine material.
The proposed changes would see the removal of these requirements and restrictions and would bring South Australian regulations in line with Australian border controls and those of other states and territories.
Any change of status to GPGV under the Plant Health Act 2009will onlybe considered following assessment of support and comments from industryduring the consultation period.
Vinehealth Australia issued an Industry Notice on 30 June on this proposal and we seek your support or comments directly by 30 July. We will collate your feedback and brief South Australian state wine industry organisations and the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) on overall industry sentiment.
Vinehealth is seeking industry feedback on this proposal either directly, or via South Australian Wine Industry Association, Wine Grape Council of South Australia, or SAVIA, through the contacts below. Note that a lack of feedback will be considered as support for the deregulation.
Please forward your feedback to any of the below contacts by 30 July 2021:
Suzanne McLoughlin
Technical Manager
Vinehealth Australia
suzanne@vinehealth.com.au
0412 859 882
Brian Smedley
Chief Executive
SAWIA
admin@winesa.asn.au
(08) 8222 9277
Lisa Bennier
Business Manager
WGCSA
lisa@wgcsa.com.au
0419 039 508
Chris Bennett
Chief Executive
SAVIA
candcbennett@bigpond.com
0419 982 128
GPGV management
Since 2018, GPGV, like other endemic grapevine viruses (e.g., Grapevine leafroll-associated viruses (GRLaV-1, GRLaV-3) and Grapevine virus A (GVA)), must now be managed by industry. This includes:
- The propagation sector (nurseries and vine improvement associations) incorporating GPGV into their routine virus testing screen.
- The South Australian Vine Improvement Association (SAVIA) in its endeavour to produce high health stock, actively managing the exclusion of GPGV from its source material, as with other endemic viruses.
- Vineyard owners, when top-working, including GPGV in their virus-testing suite.
- Vineyard owners requesting documented health status of planting material from nurseries and vine improvement associations prior to purchase.