Great news – our vineyard has received a clean bill of health!
Saffron Grange was recently selected by DEFRA, the government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to participate in a national survey to assist with proving country freedom from certain plant pests and pathogens.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency as part of DEFRA undertake these surveys to prove country freedom from certain plant pests and pathogens. The requirement is to help facilitate trade and the early detection of potential threats to UK biosecurity to protect industries and the wider environment.
During our recent ‘spot check’, the inspectors looked for specific pests and diseases that might affect grapevines and potentially threaten the wider viticulture industry in this country. Inspectors collected samples, visually inspected our vines, and checked the field margins for disease.
Our clean bill of health is great news not only for us but for our customers and the entire UK wine community. Healthy vines mean delicious, high-quality wines for you to enjoy!
The inspection is part of a UK-wide initiative to protect the nation’s vineyards and test for several threats, including Pierce’s disease. Pierce’s disease is a bacterial infection that blocks water flow in grapevines as well as other grasses, herbs, shrubs, shade trees and other woody plants, causing them to wither and die. The UK government is especially concerned about this disease as it can spread quickly through vineyards via vectors such as the meadow spittlebug and could harm the country’s thriving wine industry, other agricultural industries as well as rural and urban tree landscapes, if not carefully monitored and managed.
