A number of actively managed fruit fly outbreaks remain in South Australia’s Riverland and metropolitan Adelaide. These have nominated end dates for the lifting of movement requirements set for late December 2021.
Vinehealth Australia urges vineyard owners and wineries to consider how you might be impacted for vintage 2022 if any of these outbreaks extend. This includes understanding what preparedness activities can be undertaken now, to reduce the risk of disruption to harvest logistics.
Vinehealth recently published an Industry Notice communicating the release of a Biosecurity Bulletin titled ‘Vintage requirements for fruit fly in South Australia’. This Bulletin details the quarantine requirements for winegrape vineyards and winemakers in the event of a fruit fly outbreak in South Australia. These include operational requirements applicable to vineyard practices, and movement requirements applicable to winegrapes moving between vineyards and wineries or processing facilities.
Vinehealth asks vineyard owners and wineries to review this Bulletin carefully now and to decide what actions to take as a business in preparation for the upcoming vintage. This Bulletin includes considerable additional information to that provided in previous years.
Of note, this Bulletin provides:
- A step wise approach to determining the movement requirements applicable to your situation.
- A description of an option for you to pre-emptively apply to PIRSA for accreditation, why you might consider this option, and ability to minimise applicable upfront accreditation costs.
- An outline of all costs associated with vineyard and winery accreditations and situations in which these costs will be waived by PIRSA.
- Information to determine the accreditations or certification that may apply to you.
- Flowcharts for new applicants and returning applicants applying for accreditation to indicate key steps in the accreditation process and approximate timelines.
Keep abreast of the latest information on fruit fly outbreaks on the Vinehealth Australia website here.