Policy & Issues
Biosecurity, Environment and Sustainability
Australia’s vineyards, and our vineyard assets underpin much of the success of the wine sector. Australia is fortunate to lay claim to some of the oldest grapevines in the world, providing a powerful narrative in building our fine wine identity in a highly competitive global market. Pests and diseases, both endemic and exotic, pose a constant threat.
Sustaining our resources and protecting our environment are integral to our nation’s ongoing prosperity. Similarly, the prosperity of Australia’s grape and wine producing businesses relies on these same resources and on maintaining the trust of both our customers and the broader set of stakeholders who value our environment.
The global environment is rapidly changing, with ever increasing scrutiny being placed on the management of climate change, sustainable development and protecting peoples’ well-being. Reporting against our environmental and social credentials is an important aspect of protecting our integrity and monitoring our performance towards these targets. Our innovative sustainability program Sustainable Winegrowing Australia provides us with a robust and defensible platform to achieve this.
Our industry’s policy positions reflect the need for all grape and wine producers to practice exceptional environmental stewardship. This must be supported by appropriate Government investment, and policies that balance the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of our sector. These documents set out those policy objectives that will support the commitments of the sector, whilst maintaining the prosperity of our businesses:
- Biosecurity
- Natural Capital
- Waste Management
- Pest and Disease Control
- Emissions Management
- Water For Irrigation and Production
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Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) may only be grown, imported, and transported in Australia with the approval of the Regulator. The ACT, South Australia and Tasmania have restrictions on growing GM crops due to marketing issues. Australian Grape & Wine has adopted the following position on GMOs
