Guidelines to help you manage vineyard workers in our current COVID-19 climate

As the leaves drop from the vines and pruning season fast approaches it is vital that we all remain vigilant regarding COVID-19 restrictions.

To help wine grape growers through this unprecedented time the Wine Grape Council has called on industry experts to provide the latest information and resources to assist growers affectively manage the necessary requirements around pruning.

We have been thrilled to see one of our initiatives with Australian Grape and Wine has resulted in them partnering with the Australian Wine Research Institute to produce a webinar for those new to pruning. The pruning workforce may look different for many this year and this webinar is expected to assist with upskilling those new to grapevine pruning.

Tune in on Tuesday 2 June to watch the AWRI's Beginners guide to grapevine pruning. Nick Dry from Foundation Viticulture will present his introduction to grapevine pruning, covering the two most common types: cane and spur pruning. The concepts of grapevine vigour and capacity will also be discussed. The webinar will be available afterwards on the AWRI Youtube page. Click here to register. 

In addition to the AGW & AWRI Keeping Safe: COVID-19 health and safety guidelines for vineyard workers the South Australia government has also provided additional guidelines (featured below) and processes to help reduce the effects of the virus on your workforce and business. All guidance can be found at PIRSA and SA Health.
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The state government recently launched a new Seasonal Jobs SA website to connect jobseekers and jobs in agriculture, particularly seasonal work like pruning. If you have an available position, its free to advertise or alternatively identify those looking for work. The website is a great initiative and resource – details can be found here

We've done a great job managing COVID-19 so far, let's all keep up the great work!

Happy pruning!

Lisa Bennier
Business Manager