Biosecurity Update

At their August meeting, the New Zealand Winegrowers Board agreed that NZW will join the Plant Pass Biosecurity Partnership, continuing our support of the Plant Pass Nursery Biosecurity Scheme and promoting the importance of healthy planting material for vineyards and wineries. The Grafted Grapevine Standard, NZW’s own high health scheme, has equivalence with Plant Pass. NZW recommends members purchase grapevines certified by the Grafted Grapevine Standard, and other vineyard/amenity plants from Plant Pass certified nurseries, to minimise biosecurity risk to the industry.

Why are plant biosecurity schemes needed?

Biosecurity threats to New Zealand are increasing, with changes in weather patterns and increasing movements of people and cargo across our borders. As living organisms, plants are susceptible to attack by pests and diseases. If pests or diseases are present in nurseries, they can be spread long distances through the propagation and shipping of affected plants across New Zealand via the nursery plant pathway. When not well-managed, nurseries can provide the ideal environment for pest and disease establishment, housing many different plant species close together in a warm environment conducive to growth.

What is Plant Pass?

Plant Pass is a voluntary certification scheme which helps plant producers to identify and manage nursery biosecurity risks. It uses a science-based framework to equip nurseries with biosecurity best practice solutions for plant production, ensuring the plants produced are healthy and less likely to be carrying unwanted pests and diseases into the cropping fields, orchards, parks, gardens and forest areas where they will ultimately be planted. To achieve certification, nurseries are independently audited to a core biosecurity standard, as well as additional modules relating to specific plant types they may be growing.

By signing up for Plant Pass certification, nurseries help to protect their customers’ businesses, ensure plant movement can be effectively traced in the event of a biosecurity response, and reduce the likelihood of a pest or diease establishing in a nursery and spreading via the domestic plant trade. Any New Zealand nursery can register for Plant Pass, and will receive support from the Plant Pass team to understand the requirements for certification and how to best mitigate biosecurity risk in their business.

Plant Pass was first launched in 2021, via a collaboration of primary industries and government under the Government Industry Agreement for biosecurity readiness and response. The scheme is managed by New Zealand Plant Producers Incorporated (NZPPI) and co-funded by Biosecurity New Zealand and industry partners. The NZW Grafted Grapevine Standard was updated in 2022 to ensure vine nurseries producing grafted grapevines under the standard could also gain Plant Pass certification via an equivalence arrangement.

Why has NZW joined the Plant Pass Partnership?

As a Plant Pass Partner, NZW is committing to supporting best practice biosecurity within the plant production supply chain, helping to protect the wine industry from pests and diseases. Many other organisations are also part of the partnership, and by collectively encouraging members to purchase plants only from certified nurseries, we are indirectly putting pressure on more and more nurseries to consider implementation of biosecurity best practice so they too can gain certification.

What can members do to reduce biosecurity risk from planting material?

NZW recommends members make informed purchasing decisions when sourcing plant material for vineyards, surrounding areas and winery gardens. Purchasing grapevines certified to the NZW Grafted Grapevine Standard is the best action you can take to ensure vines are traceable back to the parent material and minimise the risk of associated pests and disease, particularly grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3. Purchasing other plants from Plant Pass certified nurseries ensures they have been produced by trusted suppliers who undertake rigorous biosecurity risk management on their sites and throughout the plant transportation process. Information about nurseries supplying GGS vines can be found at nzwine.com, and a list of Plant Pass certified nurseries and a full explanation of the scheme can be found at plantpass.org.nz.

Partnering for Better Plant Biosecurity

• New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) has joined the Plant Pass Biosecurity Partnership to promote the importance of healthy planting material for vineyards, surrounding areas and winery gardens.
• Plant Pass is an independently audited nursery certification scheme which uses a science-based approach to equip plant producers with biosecurity best practice. The Grafted Grapevine Standard has an equivalence arrangement with Plant Pass.
• NZW encourages members to make informed decisions when purchasing planting material for vineyard surrounds and winery gardens. Purchasing plants from Plant Pass certified nurseries minimises the risk of accompanying pests and diseases being transferred through the nursery pathway and better protects the wine industry.
• New and replacement vines for vineyards should be certified to the Grafted Grapevine Standard.

Sophie Badland is NZW Biosecurity & Emergency Response Manager