Yass Valley winemakers called for a delay, fearing smoke from hazard reduction burns could damage their crops. Photo: James Coleman.
Regional winemakers have acknowledged “tricky” timelines as they welcomed the delay of a hazard reduction burn planned in southern NSW.
Firefighters had planned to conduct a hazard reduction burn in the Wee Jasper area, in the Yass Valley, on Friday (13 March).
In a post on Facebook earlier this month, the NSW RFS Southern Tablelands Zone announced it was targeting a 120-hectare area, with hopes of reducing fuel loads.
In the following days, Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman joined winemakers and industry officials in calling for the burn to be delayed or cancelled, to give them time to continue with their harvest.
The night before the planned burn, she confirmed it had been cancelled.
“Over the past 24 hours, grape growers in the Yass Valley and Canberra wine region raised serious concerns about a hazard reduction burn being considered for tomorrow – during peak vintage – a time when any smoke exposure can result in total crop loss, particularly after a season already impacted by frost and hail,” she wrote in a statement on social media.
“I raised these concerns directly with the minister and relevant agencies, calling for a pause so that the situation could be properly assessed, industry protocols applied, and growers given a genuine opportunity to protect their businesses.”
Canberra District Wine Industry Association (CDWIA) president Fergus McGhie welcomed news of the cancellation.
He told Region the “really positive” outcome came after winemakers went to the RFS with their concerns about the “tricky” timing of the planned burn.
“They were very receptive and very understanding … We’re also completely understanding of the window that they need [to operate in] to do their burns and keep everyone safe.”
He was among those who called for a delay until at least Anzac Day, pointing to grapes’ continued ripening “right up until” late April.
He said this would avoid the risk of their wines being affected by smoke taint.
“It’s very hard to know how little or how much smoke will cause it … At the time when the grapes are at their ripest, they’re the most susceptible.
“It’s something that’s very difficult to remove from wine and it can develop in the bottle over time.”
He also said his colleagues understood conditions meant certain hazard reduction burns (such as the planned Wee Jasper burns) couldn’t be easily rescheduled.
“This is that time of year when some of these burns need to take place … It’s a tricky thing to balance.”
Mr McGhie expects the burn will take place next year, but said he was committed to ongoing consultation with the NSW RFS in instances when a planned burn “can clash” with winery operations.
“Every vineyard in Australia faces this problem [of managing bushfires and bushfire smoke] … It’s always a concern for us. We’re at the mercy of nature.
“We’re agriculturalists, after all!”
The NSW RFS Southern Tablelands Zone was contacted for comment.
Information on NSW RFS hazard reduction burns, including dates and locations for planned operations, can be found online.
