Grape Biosecurity: planning for the future
Western Australian grape growers and producers have a new plan dedicated to their biosecurity needs.
The Western Australian Viticulture Industry Biosecurity Plan focuses on Biosecurity planning and how to react to exotic pest detections in the Western Australian grape industry.
While it is time consuming to plan for pests that may never arrive on our shores, recent biosecurity incidents such as Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus and Tomato potato psyllid have shown the risk is real.
The WA viticulture industry is currently in a beneficial position of being free of a range of grape pests that affect growers in other states of Australia. While procedures are in place to reduce the likelihood, a pest outbreak could have serious, long term consequences for the industry.
To help WA growers maintain area freedom of certain exotic pest, the plan has identified over 250 pests that have not yet established in Western Australian vineyards.
These potential pest threats are categorised based on their establishment and spread potential, economic impact, and a final industry rating of concern. This will provide both the industries and supporting organisations, including Government, with data on what exotic organisms to focus on, and assist in decision making about what steps should be taken should an incursion occur.
This list of pests has been reviewed and ranked according to the likely impact they may have on the WA viticulture industries. The review identified 7 high priority pest threats and a further 39 priority pest threats.
Early detection and surveillance of grape pests is also supported in both the plan and the MyPestGuide Grapes app – a pest surveillance tool that supports the community to identify and report unusual pests to the department.
The next step (due for completion by the end of June 2017) is to develop a pest profile on each of the high priority and priority pests. The pest profiles will provide detailed identification and damage information along with possible management options.
For more details and a copy of the plan, visit ‘Western Australian Viticulture Industry Biosecurity Plan’ on the DAFWA website.
The Western Australian Viticulture Industry Biosecurity Plan and the MyPestGuide Grapes app have been developed as part of the Boosting Biosecurity Defences project, funded by Royalties for Regions.
For more information about this project or to download the MyPestGuide grapes app, visit e-Surveillance for pests and diseases in the WA grape industry webpage.