The European Grapevine Moth (EGVM) quarantine will impact grape harvest for nearly 2/3rds of Sonoma County grape growers in 2010. The Commission will monitor requirements impacting growers as they continue to evolve. This update summarizes requirements as known on September 22, 2010.

Firstly, quarantines are mandated under federal and state quarantine regulations. Quarantines are critical to limit spread of exotic pests. Both intrastate and interstate movement of grapes may be impacted if grapes move from a quarantined area to a non-quarantined county, state or country. Violation of quarantine restrictions can lead to fines up to $10,000.

In order to move grapes from a quarantined area, growers must have a compliance agreement. In order to ship grapes, the hauler must have a compliance agreement, and in order to deliver grapes to a winery, a winery must have a compliance agreement. Businesses with compliance agreements are listed by county at http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/PE/InteriorExclusion/egvm_quarantine.html. Growers in quarantined areas must ask all haulers and winery buyers if they have compliance agreements prior to harvest. Only haulers and wineries with compliance agreements can haul or accept grapes. Wineries cannot accept grapes from growers in a quarantine area if the grower does not have a compliance agreement.

Regardless of whether you are leaving the quarantine area or not, growers must slack fill bins of hand-picked grapes 4 inches from the top or 12 inches if machine picked grapes. Alternatively bins or gondolas can be filled normally if tarped or covered to insure no grape clusters spill during transport.  Tarping is not required except for grapes that originate from a vineyard that is within 200 meters of a moth find and pre-harvest treatments were not applied.  Clusters may contain EGVM and thus spillage may spread the pest to uninfested regions.

If shipping grapes to uninfested counties or out-of-state, growers will need to have trapped for EGVM at the rate of 1 trap/5 acres and no EGVM moths must be detected. Call the Agricultural Commission to arrange for increased trapping now. (Growers are responsible for the cost of increased trapping of $26.00 per hour) USDA, CDFA or Ag Commissioner staff will need to inspect 300 clusters per vineyard within 14 days of harvest and shipment of grapes. Only vineyards free from EGVM will be allowed to ship. (Schedule inspections several days before harvest because Orange Tortrix and Omnivorous Leaf Roller larvae are being found in clusters. If a worm is found, it will have to be identified either by the Ag Commissioner or CDFA prior to harvest to confirm it is not EGVM.) Clusters must be trimmed of any rot or leaves at harvest and prior to shipment. Shipment in small lugs on pallets is allowed for out-of-state shipments. If shipment is in bulk containers, grapes will have to be trimmed of rot and plant material removed before picking bins are dumped and those containers must be covered. Shipment must be in refrigerated trucks and requires a certificate from the inspector that the grapes meet all requirements of the Federal order for interstate shipments and all crates or pallets must include a Diamond Stamp signifying the grapes meet the requirements for shipment. A pallet card must also be attached to each pallet and identify the vineyard, grower lot, variety and date of inspection.

If you are planning on shipping grapes out of state, or to county not under EGVM quarantine, (current counties under EGVM quarantine include, Fresno, Lake, Mendocino, Merced, Napa, San Joaquin, Solano and Sonoma)  please call the Ag. Commissioner’s office at 565-2373, to make arrangements for trapping and inspection to accommodate your harvest schedule.  

Please leave a voice message with the following information:   Business name Vineyard address and number of acres to be harvested for shipment. Call back phone #. Expected date of harvest. Where the shipment is going; the state or the county. Billing address and contact name if different than above

Alternatives to grape shipments include shipping juice, must or bulk wine.  We will be developing a list of service providers to facilitate juice or must shipments at harvest or bulk wine production and delivery. State laws controlling alcoholic beverages may restrict bulk wine shipments.

For more information, including grape must and unfermented pomace, please visit: http://www.sonoma-county.org/agcomm/european_gv_moth.htm#winery_info

If you are shipping to a county in California that is not infested, check with the destination winery and Ag Commissioner to determine if compliance agreements are in place for the safe handling of winery waste following delivery. Some counties may not provide compliance agreements and in those cases shipments to those counties may require a Diamond Stamp or may not be possible. (CDFA is working with counties on this issue.)

Receiving wineries must handle winery waste from destemmers and fresh fruit presses in order to destroy EGVM. Today that means composting the waste. Waste haulers will have to transport winery waste in covered trucks or approved containers to approved composting or disposal sites. Waste handling and composting will also be done under compliance agreements. 

Unfermented green waste from EGVM quarantined fruit originating in Sonoma County can be composted on site in accordance with the California Code of Regulations Title 14, Division 7, Chapter 3.1, Section 17868.3.

List of green waste haulers & receivers: www.sonomawinegrape.org/greenwaste

We continue to work with the Ag Commissioner, CDFA and USDA to clarify requirements so that impacts on harvest are minimal and EGVM are not spread by the movement of grapes and winery waste. We will provide updates as new information becomes available.