Contractor damages $1.6m worth of grapes

A contractor has cost seven Marlborough grape growers up to NZ$1.6 million after spraying their vineyards with the wrong kind of fertiliser.

Spraying taking place in a vineyard

Seven vineyards in the Wairau Plain were reportedly sprayed with a fertiliser called Perk Supa by a contractor in March, according to reports by the Marlborough Express.

While the product was commonly used in the past, it has been flagged by New Zealand Winegrowers because it left a residue that prevented wine being exported to key markets. The affected crop is therefore unlikely to be bought by producers looking to export their wines, restricting sales to the country’s domestic market where the threshold for residue is higher.

Consultant viticulturist Murray Paterson, who was brought in to advise one of the growers, said the blunder had cost growers $1.6m – the estimated value of the 900 tonne damaged crop.

“The mistake will cost the growers their income for the next two years,” he told the Marlborough Express. “It’s not just the loss of the crops but how much they’ve spent, it costs around $8,000 per hectare to bring grapes to harvest.”

It is hoped that growers will be able to claim back some of their losses from the unnamed contractor following an insurance claim.

It’s not believed that the contractor acted deliberately, but had neglected to check the status of the fertiliser, which up until four years ago was commonly used.