Winegrape growers seething

RIVERINA and Murray Valley wine grape growers have slammed the NSW Government's response to an industry inquiry.

The NSW Government refused to make a decision on all 10 recommendations from the parliamentary inquiry into the wine grape market and prices.

The delayed response by the NSW Coalition - which took eight months to consider the report - means Riverina wine grape growers no longer have terms of payment protection from their statutory authority.

The legislation that gave Riverina Wine Grape Marketing Board the authority to set payment terms for its growers expired on December 31.

This is despite the inquiry's recommendation the board's powers be extended in the absence of a mandatory code of conduct, which is yet to be implemented.

The Government said the existing voluntary code would deal with payment terms and conditions.

It also said NSW winemakers and growers would be at a competitive disadvantage if all wineries offered the same payment terms to all farmers, despite South Australia already having this system.

Riverina Wine Grape Marketing Board chairman Bruno Brombal was disappointed with the government's response, as the voluntary code did not protect all growers.

"I think the code of conduct at this stage is up in the air," he said.

"It's been on the table for a long time and a lot of the major wineries have signed up but the rest haven't."

He said growers who did not have an existing contract would lose the protection of payment terms and conditions set by his board.

Murray Valley Winegrowers chief executive Mark McKenzie also condemned the NSW government response. "We don't believe the government response is appropriate to the real economic and commercial situation facing winegrape growers in the state," Mr McKenzie said.

"The NSW Government has an obligation under the National Reform Agenda to minimise the costs associated with its regulatory regime, with regulation only being compliant if the benefits to the community outweigh the costs and if the benefits can only be achieved through regulation," Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson told The Weekly Times.