5 minute read
Biosecurity Watch Jim Herdman
Biosecurity Watch
JIM HERDMAN
AS FEATURED in last month’s Winepress, New Zealand Winegrowers has recently produced some new biosecurity resources to assist members with biosecurity awareness and planning for their vineyards. The resources include a Vineyard Biosecurity Plan template, a Vineyard Biosecurity Guidelines for Best Practice flip chart, a Vineyard Biosecurity Pest and Disease Identification Guide, a Notice to Contractors template and a Biosecurity Sign template. The resources have been designed to make it easier for vineyard managers and owners to protect their vineyards from biosecurity threats - both overseas threats, and threats that already exist in New Zealand. They are also designed to broaden awareness and knowledge of biosecurity issues among industry members.
Gemma Woolley works for Constellation Brands as their sustainability coordinator here in Marlborough and is working with Constellation staff to raise biosecurity awareness within the wider team. She has recently received 17 packs of the new New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) biosecurity resources to distribute to vineyard managers. I sat down with Gemma and her colleagues, Jeff Sinnott (national technical viticulturist), and Stephen Bradley (head of viticulture) to discuss how they might use the information.
Constellation vineyard in Awatere Valley
Stephen said there needed to be an emphasis on education and early detection of new pests and diseases, emphasising the importance of keeping an eye out for the most unwanted. The training material included in the pack (the Vineyard Biosecurity Guidelines for Best Practice flip chart, and the Vineyard Biosecurity Pest and Disease Identification Guide) would enable them to raise awareness among Constellation staff and contractors working in the vineyards. He also liked the idea of being able to design their biosecurity plan around risk. As an example, Constellation Brands have experience dealing with biosecurity controls in place in their Awatere vineyards where Chilean needle grass (CNG) is present, so they already have strict protocols in place. Extra vigilance is required in cleaning down machinery and vehicles coming out of the Blind River area due to the CNG controls. However, there is currently less biosecurity risk associated with machinery movement between Constellation vineyards in the Wairau Valley, so the clean down protocol does not need to be as stringent.
Stephen liked the idea of having levels of risk similar to the Covid levels we now are all familiar with: where the biosecurity risk is higher, stronger interventions need to be in place to manage those risks. This kind of approach can be documented in the new biosecurity plan template. Stephen also acknowledged the need for some type of contractor awareness and the need to include some sort of documentation when contractors were engaged. The Notice to Contractor template included in the biosecurity resource pack can be edited to suit each vineyard’s individual circumstances.
Jeff sees biosecurity as fundamental in good vineyard management. He also sees awareness as one of the main ways to prevent a prolonged serious biosecurity incursion. Having family involved in the kiwifruit business, he was
IF YOU SEE ANYTHING UNUSUAL CATCH IT. SNAP IT. REPORT IT.
Call MPI biosecurity hotline 0800 80 99 66
keen to use the lessons learned from the kiwifruit PSA response to help manage any future biosecurity incursion, not only for the wine industry but the wider horticulture industry as well. Jeff also sees it as essential to have a contingency plan in case there were movement controls implemented as part of a biosecurity response. Movement controls imposed under the Biosecurity Act 1993 could prevent fruit or other plant material from leaving/coming on to a property or passing through an affected area, and could potentially be a disastrous scenario at harvest given
Gemma Woolley and Jeff Sinnott
the movement of grapes around the country.
Jeff is pleased to see biosecurity awareness embedded into programmes such as the Young Viticulturist of the Year competition and industry training days such as Spray Days. It assists new people in the industry, and new industry leaders to have it built into their daily operations, similar to health and safety. He also liked the fact that the Vineyard Pest and Disease Identification Guide could be used to help train and inform staff completely new to the industry.
Gemma plans to run an in-house training showing Constellation staff the new material, and would also like to explore further what a biosecurity response might mean for the team at Constellation, should they ever be involved in one. New Zealand Winegrowers is available to work with Constellation to help run a biosecurity scenario for the team. “It is a bit like a fire drill,” Gemma says. Staff need to be aware of how it may impact on their work and business, as well as how they may be asked to help in a response. Opportunities for organisations to build capability and receive training to assist in a biosecurity response are also available through NZW and Biosecurity New Zealand.
If you’d like hard copies of the new biosecurity resources or have any queries, feedback, or comments regarding these documents, please send an email to biosecurity@nzwine.com, or give Jim (027 644 8010) or Sophie (027 700 4142) a call. All the materials are also available online electronically in the member’s section of the nzwine.com website on the ‘Biosecurity - Protecting Your Vineyards’ page. New Zealand Winegrowers biosecurity staff are also available to assist with the Vineyard Biosecurity Plan if you need assistance, or if you want to talk over the process of putting together a Biosecurity Plan.
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Contact: Grant Cathcart
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