Movement requirements for winegrapes regarding Queensland fruit fly

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In this article, we share important information from PIRSA for both vineyards and wineries about the current Riverland fruit fly outbreaks for vintage 2024. We discuss movement requirements for vineyards and wineries, available accreditation and certification options, applicable costs for vintage and options for receiving assistance.

For a PDF version of this information click here.

Importantly, there has been no change to the movement options available to vineyards and wineries for vintage 2024.

1.0 MOVEMENT OPTIONS FOR VINEYARDS

Winegrapes being consigned to a winery for processing must be accompanied by one of the available certification options:

  • OPTION 1: ICA-33 Plant Health Assurance Certificate (PHAC)
  • OPTION 2: CIMC ICA-33 conditions (for 3 or less loads)
  • OPTION 3: CIMC for secure movement when moving within or between areas of equal status
  • OPTION 4: CIMC treatment – scenario 1

Your available options will be driven by factors such as your vineyard’s location and the location of your receiving winery; whether your vineyard is being incorporated under your receiving winery’s accreditation; and the level of comparative flexibility that the choice of certification provides to both the vineyard and receiving winery.

  • To assess the range of movement options applicable to your vineyard situation, refer to Table 1.
  • For the operational requirements specific to each option, refer to Table 2.

Table 1. Matrix of movement options for vineyards consigning winegrapes

1 This means if there is a need to cross into the unaffected areas of the Pest Free Area, applicable certification options are: OPTION 1 or OPTION 2.

2 Load must be consigned with an applicable biosecurity certificate. For further information on managing rejected fruit at the winery, refer here.

3 This means if there is a need to cross into the unaffected areas of the Pest Free Area, applicable certification options are: OPTION 1 OPTION 2, OPTION 3.

4 This means if there is a need to cross into the FFAA, applicable certification options are: OPTION 1 OPTION 2, OPTION 3.

5 This requirement is not related to fruit fly outbreaks and must always be adhered to, refer more here.

Table 2. Operational requirements under each movement option for vineyards

1 Complete PIRSA’s online Secure Movement Notification form here.

2 For more information about infield application of baits, click here.

3 Also called consignment under secure conditions – bins (bulk truck) not to be filled above 200mm from the top edge of the bin (bulk truck), or securely covered using a tarpaulin, shade cloth, bin cover, or contained with a covered vehicle.

2.0 RECEIVAL OPTIONS FOR WINERIES

Wineries receiving winegrapes must be certified by one of the four available certification options. Your choice of option will include factors such as the location of the winery and that of your contracted growers, and whether you are receiving winegrapes from interstate.

Wineries located anywhere within the Riverland Pest Free Area (PFA) and receiving winegrapes from Greater South Australia, must ensure all consignments are certified prior to entering the PFA. Refer to Table 1 above or contact the Plant Health Operations Market Access team on 08 8207 7814 for assistance.

Wineries in Outbreak Areas

There are no requirements applicable to Outbreak Area wineries receiving winegrapes grown within the Outbreak Areas or Suspension Areas. Additionally, there are no additional controls for wineries located in the Outbreak Area and receiving fruit from Greater South Australia or interstate, however each consignment must be accompanied with documentation required for entry into the Riverland PFA or South Australia.

Rejected winegrapes cannot be returned to the source vineyard from wineries located within the Outbreak Area, unless they are accompanied by the original documentation from the vineyard, maintained and consigned under secure conditions, issued with a rejection note from the winery, and applicable waste management practices are followed at the source vineyard if it is located in an Outbreak Area. For information on managing rejected fruit, refer here.

Wineries in Suspension Area

Receiving winegrapes grown in an Outbreak Area

  • If the sending vineyard is operating under OPTION 4 ‘CIMC treatment – scenario 1’, the receiving winery must operate under a Section 9 Order. Under this scenario, the grapes must be processed within 24 hours of receipt at the winery and meet other requirements as per Table 3 OPTION C.
  • If receiving winegrapes grown in an Outbreak Area or Suspension Area under ICA-33 conditions – sent under either OPTION 1 ‘ICA-33 Accreditation’ or OPTION 2 ‘CIMC ICA-33 conditions’, the winery must operate under either a CA-01 Accreditation or a Section 9 Order (which mirrors the requirements the CA-01 without requiring audits and includes no restrictions to the number of consignments that can be received). Refer winery OPTIONS A and B in Table 3.
  • If the winery is receiving grapes consigned to them under OPTIONS 1, 2 and 4, the winery can operate under a single Section 9 Order rather than managing dual systems. NOTE: If the winery is also receiving winegrapes from interstate, it will be required to run dual systems.

Receiving winegrapes grown in a Suspension Area

There are no requirements applicable to Suspension Area wineries receiving winegrapes also grown in Suspension Areas. However, movement restrictions apply to grapes leaving the FFAA to access a different Suspension Area or transiting the Outbreak Area (refer Table 1).

Receiving winegrapes grown in the unaffected areas of the Riverland PFA and Greater South Australia

There are no required approvals or accreditations applicable to Suspension Area wineries receiving winegrapes grown outside of the FFAA, however the winery must ensure appropriate documentation accompanies loads from Greater South Australia. Winegrapes cannot be returned to the vineyard or removed from the FFAA. To enable rejected consignments to be returned to the vineyard or removed from the FFAA refer here for further details.

Wineries in Greater SA or unaffected areas of the PFA

If receiving winegrapes grown in an Outbreak Area or Suspension Area, the winery must operate under either a CA-01 Accreditation or a Section 9 Order (which mirrors the requirements the CA-01 without requiring audits and includes no restrictions to the number of consignments that can be received).

For the operational requirements specific to each winery option, refer to Table 3.

Table 3. Operational requirements under each receival option for wineries

3.0 MANAGING YOUR CHOICE OF SYSTEM TO OPERATE UNDER

Accreditations

If you were accredited under either ICA-33 or CA-01 last year, a pre-populated Annual Return form will be posted to the accreditation contact. The form will reflect the information you provided to PIRSA when you applied.

ICA-33 Movement of Winegrapes

CA-01 Receiving winegrapes – Import Verification Compliance Arrangement (“IVCA”)

Section 9 Order

To apply for a Section 9 order, contact the Fruit Fly Response Market Access team on 1800 255 556, or email MarketAccessRenmark.AASLocal@sa.gov.au

Chief Inspectors Movement Certificate

To apply for a CIMC, either complete PIRSA’s online Secure Movement Notification form here, or contact the Fruit Fly Response Market Access team on 1800 255 556, or email MarketAccessRenmark.AASLocal@sa.gov.au

Certificates

Plant Health Assurance Certificate (PHAC) books

  • Newly accredited business will be issued a Plant Health Assurance Certificate (PHAC) book after the initial audit is passed, if your accreditation authorises you to issue a PHAC.
  • Pre-printed PHAC books can be arranged, and issued to a business at a fee.
  • If you’ve used all the available certificates within the PHAC book, contact the Fruit Fly Response Market Access team on 1800 255 556, or email MarketAccessRenmark.AASLocal@sa.gov.au to arrange a new one.

Electronic Plant Health Assurance Certificates (e-PHAC)

  • The use of electronic Plant Health Assurance Certificates (e-PHAC) is accepted for both intra- and interstate movement when using the existing approved systems. GFAP Pty Ltd. (Grape Link) was approved by all domestic Departments of Primary Industries to deliver an e-PHAC service independent of other services they offer. Users of this system are entering into a private arrangement with GFAP as the service providers. This system is not the e-PHAC system built by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF).

Plant Health Certificate (PHC)

  • You may require a Plant Health Certificate (PHC) if you’re not accredited to issue a Plant Health Assurance Certificate. PIRSA issues PHCs, and these are most commonly required if sending to interstate markets or from Greater South Australia into the Riverland PFA. Complete a Plant Health Certificate application online here (for fruit fly use in SA, please disregard the reference to ‘export’ certification in the link).

5.0 OPERATIONAL FACTORS

Costs

PIRSA has advised that it will again waive costs associated with accreditation, certification, inspections, and audits for the current Riverland fruit fly outbreaks for businesses directly impacted by the fruit fly restrictions.

It is acknowledged that businesses will still experience costs associated with implementing accreditation programs, applying required treatments, arranging secure transport, or any other required changes to established processes.

For businesses conducting interstate movements, regulated fees will still apply for vintage 2024.

  • SA vineyards sending to an interstate winery must still operate under ICA-33 accreditation.
  • SA wineries receiving grapes from interstate must still operate under IVCA CA-01 accreditation.
  • If a winery chooses to operate under one of the new options for the movement within the Fruit Fly Affected Area (Controlled Movement Zone) and trade with interstate businesses, the winery will need to manage dual systems (CA-01 and Section 9 Order).

What fruit fly zone am I in?

Use PIRSA’s interactive fruit fly map to enter your address to determine what zone your vineyard is in. If you find that a quarantine area boundary bisects your land parcel, you must treat your whole land parcel as if it is inside the ‘higher quarantine’ area (that is, Outbreak Area over Suspension Area, Suspension Area over outside the Fruit Fly Affected Area). This applies no matter where your vine rows or winery buildings are located within the land parcel.

Maturity samples

You must manage the movement of grape berry or bunch samples for maturity analysis in accordance with one of the options available to you based on where your vineyard is located (refer Table 1), otherwise the samples can be crushed at the vineyard and consigned as juice, in which case no movement restrictions apply.

Diagnostic samples

You must manage the movement of whole grape samples consigned to a diagnostic laboratory in accordance with one of the options available to you based on where your vineyard is located (refer Table 1). Alternatively, if you are consigning to a CA-12 accredited laboratory in SA, you must manage your samples within the requirements of that accreditation.

Cleaning requirements for vineyard machinery and equipment

You must clean machinery and equipment free of all grape berries before moving off Outbreak Area and Suspension Area vineyard properties.

Assistance

For understanding and implementing movement requirements relating to fruit fly:

To become accredited under ICA-33 or IVCA CA-01 relating to interstate movements, contact the Plant Biosecurity Operations Market Access team on 08 8207 7814.