Wine harvest angers

The production and processing of food and beverages is considered an ‘‘essential service’’ by the Government. This means wine production can continue during the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown. But the decision has divided Marlborough, New Zealand’s wine capital.

Several people have approached Stuff concerned about the number of people working the grape harvest and the health risks this poses, but they aren’t willing to be named because of their close ties with the industry and a fear of a backlash from friends and family.

Even a doctor at Marlborough’s Wairau Hospital has taken to Facebook to express her dissatisfaction. In a post she said wine was a ‘‘luxury’’ and, by continuing with vintage 2020, the industry was ‘‘risking lives’’. When approached for further comment, she passed the query on to the Marlborough Primary Health Organisation (PHO).

The PHO chief executive then declined to comment.

One woman, who feared a backlash from her family if she was named, questioned why harvest was able to go ahead.

‘‘Why can they continue to operate despite New Zealand being in a state of emergency?’’ she said.

Last year, Marlborough harvested 76.6 per cent of New Zealand’s grapes – a workforce which required thousands.

So who’s at risk? The Government says people vulnerable to the virus are those over the age of 70 and those with compromised immune systems.

According to Marlborough’s

2018-28 long-term plan, Marlborough has the highest proportion of elderly people in New Zealand. About 23 per cent of the population, or 10,700 people, are over 65 years old.

New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan said yesterday morning that if wineries could not prove the safety of their staff and the wider community, they would need to shut.

Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens would not comment and referred all correspondence to NZ Winegrowers.

NZ Winegrowers later put out a press release, but it did not detail what particular practices were in place, although there were ‘‘rigorous requirements’’.

‘‘The criteria from the Government is very clear. The goal is to stop the spread of the virus, and the industry can only operate if they do so in a way that protects worker safety and stops the spread of the virus,’’ Gregan said.

He said actions such as passing paperwork from a ‘‘truck driver to someone back in the winery’’ had been ruled out. That all had to be done on devices so there was no physical contact, Gregan said.

Businesses must register with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) on the ‘‘Register for Safe-practice’’ by 5pm today.

No-one in the industry spoken to by Stuff could provide an exact list of the protocols during this pandemic, but when businesses registered with MPI as a ‘‘safe practice’’, 11 questions were asked.

They included: ‘‘How do your production processes protect your workers and the public by reducing the potential spread of Covid-19?’’ and ‘‘how will you ensure that your workers observe ‘stay at home’ rules at the conclusion of each working day?’’

New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Bryan Wilson said MPI would then verify if safe practices were in place.

Stuff reporters in Marlborough have had housemates in the wine industry move out, because they would be in contact with others who were working in other essential services.

Instead, these housemates in the wine industry had been moved to isolated accommodation, so they could get through vintage safely.

Gregan said in some cases, campervans had been brought onto site to keep people isolated.

The industry also relied on overseas workers on the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme. They tended to live in shared accommodation. Some of it was purpose-built, with bedrooms that had the capacity to sleep up to six people.

‘‘If people are living or working in a group, they travel together and work in the same vineyard and then stay in the same accommodation. What’s critically important is the cross contamination from any other group,’’ Gregan said.

He stressed the industry was doing all it could to meet the criteria of the Government.

‘‘We’ve said very simply, if a process can’t be done safety, then it must stop. If that means the business has to close, then so be it.

‘‘We know the privileged position we are in, and the responsibility rests on all of our shoulders to make this work.’’