RECOMMENDATIONS made by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) may have an affect on the Coonawarra region, according to a winery lawyer.
Finlaysons Lawyers will once again host the Wine Roadshow, which will be held on Monday at Chardonnay Lodge, with lawyer Will Taylor examining the recommendations made in the report.
Mr Taylor is expected to focus on unfair contract terms and payment standards which he believes has the potential to affect the region.
The ACCC report was released earlier this year and highlighted 10 key areas of concern including quality assessment, grape pricing and the nation-wide voluntary code of conduct.
“A lot of people are concerned about the payments especially within the eastern states because they do not have the legislation that we do,” he said.
“This would hugely set some wineries back if they had to pay within 30 days because there are other parties who may take longer to pay as well.
“Taking one link in the supply chain and squeezing it and not doing anything about the others is unfair.”
The report recommended a practice standard of payment within 30 days of the final grape delivery should be adopted for all winemakers across the nation with total processing capacity across all wineries, including subsidiaries, of over 10,000 tonnes.
“The people in Coonawarra will have an insight into the ACCC and our views into what these recommendations may lead into and what they should be doing or saying to their local politicians,” Mr Taylor said.
“It will also get them to understand what is happening nation-wide.”
The commission believes there should be uniform national standards for testing and measuring grape sugar levels and colour, with winemakers using well-documented and objective testing and sampling methods.
Amendments to the current industry guidance on quality assessments and standards was also recommended in order to reflect current practice and provide detailed information on standards for sampling in the vineyard and at the weighbridge.
Supply agreements will also be discussed at the roadshow seminar following the commission’s recommendations for clearer testing and sampling methods that winemakers use to assess grape quality.
The event will start at 3pm.
