Business is booming in Hunter Valley wine country after a tough few years through the pandemic, but one tiny insect could destroy every grapevine in the region.
After the devastation the Varroa Mite brought to the local bee industry, the NSW Government is shoring up defences against an equally deadly threat called phylloxera.
The Department of Primary Industries says the tiny aphid-like pests are spread when they hitch a ride on clothing, shoes, machinery, or in soil and other grape growing material and an outbreak would be a disaster for the $14 billion sector.
Minister for Agriculture Dugald Saunders says an incursion would also come at the cost of 53 thousand people the industry employs.
“NSW produces some of the finest wine in the world, so it is no surprise we have seen a sharp increase in visitors to vineyards in wine-growing regions like Mudgee, Orange, Tumbarumba, Griffith and the Hunter Valley.
“With these visitors come the inevitable threat of a biosecurity pest incursion like phylloxera that can spread easily and destroy vines quickly,” Mr Saunders said.
New roadside signs will be installed across the region to warn visitors away from vulnerable areas in a bid to keep the Hunter’s vineyards phylloxera-free.