Vinehealth Australia reintroduced Biosecurity Training for Contractors in 2025, with sessions held in Coonawarra and the Barossa in June.
The training was created in partnership with Liz Riley from Vitibit in 2020. Pilot sessions were held in Coonawarra and the Adelaide Hills. The training was then paused due to COVID.
In the last two Vineyard Owner Surveys, contractors were recognised as the highest risk of introducing pests, diseases or weeds into vineyards. The frequency of travel between vineyards, regions and states, places contractors in a high-risk category.
For the purpose of this training, contractors were deemed to be anyone who comes onto your property to conduct work. This includes pruning gangs, spray contractors, grape harvesters, carriers/transport providers, meter readers, equipment maintenance/service teams, consultants, grapevine scouts and other suppliers. Vineyard and winery staff and vineyard owners were also invited to be involved in the training.
Liz Riley, one of Australia’s leading viticulturists, travelled from the Hunter Valley to present this course. Liz is very familiar with biosecurity practices and spoke about ‘biosecurity bubbles’ and how to include biosecurity protocols and expectations in contracts. “I put biosecurity into contracts with clients. That way, we are both clear on what will be done to minimise biosecurity threats,” Liz said.
This training aims to inform contractors about biosecurity principles and tools, educate them on biosecurity threats in Australia and ensure they know where to find more information on biosecurity, for example, Vinehealth Australia’s webpage for contractors.
Key topics covered included:
- Information about Vinehealth Australia – who we are, what we do, the resources available
- Key pest, disease and weed threats
- The impact of a biosecurity outbreak on industry
- How to report a biosecurity problem
- How to ‘come clean, leave clean’
- Biosecurity expectations for both contractors and clients
- Practical biosecurity tips
Both the Coonawarra and Barossa sessions were well attended, with a good mix of contractors, vineyard owners and winemakers. Attendee engagement was strong, demonstrating how important biosecurity is to our industry.
Further resources are available here.
If you would like to have Biosecurity Training for Contractors in your region, or other biosecurity education services Vinehealth Australia has tailored for our industry, please register your interest with either admin@vinehealth.com.au or your regional wine association.
