vine health and phylloxera
Come clean. Go clean.
Wine Victoria acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which
Victoria’s vineyards and wineries operate and pay respect to Elders past and
present. We recognise their deep and ongoing connection to land, water and
culture, and the knowledge systems that have cared for Country for tens of
thousands of years.
Staying on top of Vine Health
The health of each vine is critical to the sustainability and longevity of the Victorian wine industry, and it is a core responsibility of our wine producers to maintain, care for and protect their vineyard health.
At a national level, Vine Health Australia is the assigned independent statutory authority of South Australia, to protect vines from biosecurity risk and to advance vine health.
Regionally, in Victoria, Agriculture Victoria is the primary body responsible for ccontainment policy, zone orders, special permits, suspect-report triage and national coordination of phylloxera, and is the first point of contact to test for new or suspicious pest detections in the vineyard.
- Identify who, what and where
Understand your land, how it is zoned, who is within your community and can help you.
- Be strategic
Be across the various industry strategies for vine health and biosecurity including fines and permit conditions.
- Active management
Stay on top of best practice pest management with minimal pesticides.
- Data collection
Capture information relating to the health and wellbeing of your vineyard to track progress.
- Reporting
Understand who to report an incident to, when and how.
Farm-Gate Hygiene
The Vinehealth Australia farm-gate hygiene page outlines practical steps to reduce the risk of pests, diseases and weeds entering a property. It covers key areas such as visitor management, cleaning protocols and equipment hygiene, helping growers implement simple, site-specific practices at the farm gate. Including how to manage abandoned vineyards.
About grapevines
There are four key pests to be aware of in Australia which relate to Grapevine health. It is important to be aware of each of these, as staying on top of them protects the vine. It is important to learn how to live with these pests and apply an effective management program to vine health.
Grapevines host a greater number of viruses than almost any other cultivated crop species, with over 100 distinct grapevine viruses identified globally to date (Stevens KA, Al Rwahnih M. 2024). The economic significance of each virus varies considerably. Some viruses are not considered detrimental, whereas others can cause significant losses.
Key industry contacts
For routine movement, certification and field work including the Interstate Certification Assurance (ICA) administration and audits, standard permits, field surveillance and interstate
or into-Victorian movement advice.
Agriculture Victoria, Plant Biosecurity Operations Regional contacts:
Regional team | 1800 878 962
Northern regions: plant.quarantine@agriculture.vic.gov.au
South East region: plant.standards@agriculture.vic.gov.au
South West region: plant.southwest@agriculture.vic.gov.au
Complex market access questions: market.access@agriculture.vic.gov.au
Living with Phylloxera in Victoria
In Victoria phylloxera has been around for at least one hundred years and there are several identified phylloxera infested zones (PIZ). It is important to understand where phylloxera is (and is not) as there are permits required to move grapevine material outside of PIZ areas and permits required to move material into a phylloxera exclusion zones (PEZ).
This interactive map can help determine the location of property addresses in relation to Victorian Phylloxera management zones.
How to use:
- Enter your full street address in the address box.
- Click the box 'What zone am I in?' box.
Grape phylloxera is managed by control area Orders in Victoria. These control areas work to prevent the spread or prevent the entry of phylloxera to the area. To simplify the requirements of how phylloxera host materials can move from and/or to control areas, Victoria has been divided into phylloxera zones. Go to the Phylloxera management zone page to identify and find out what zone a property is in.
Phylloxera zones are:
- Phylloxera Exclusion Zones (PEZ) – means any area in Victoria which is declared as a control area for the purpose of preventing the entry of grape phylloxera into the area.
- Phylloxera Infested Zones (PIZ) – means any area in Victoria which is declared as a control area for the purpose of preventing the spread of grape phylloxera from the area. Phylloxera is known to occur in these areas.
- Phylloxera Risk Zone (PRZ) – means any area in Victoria shown as a Phylloxera Risk Zone on the map of Phylloxera Management Zones.
Agriculture Victoria has conducted a range of research relating to Phylloxera in Victoria.
To read more see: HERE
Be prepared
Make a Biosecurity Plan
Good biosecurity starts with understanding the risks to your vineyard and the simple actions you can take to reduce them. Learn what biosecurity means for Victorian vineyards, understand the national approach to protecting our wine industry, and put the basics in place on your own property.
