Woombye nursery achieves Queensland first in accreditation
March 23, 2011
Woombye Birdwood Nursery celebrated receiving its accreditation to the highly stringent BioSecure HACCP program this week, making it the first nursery in Queensland to be validated.
BioSecure HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) is the world-recognised standard in risk management processes designed to assist growers in assessing their current and future pest, disease and weed risks which is critical for the success of every nursery.
Rory Cullinan, General Manager of Birdwood Nursery, said the accreditation was the result of the nursery’s long-standing commitment to being well equipped to identify and deal with any potential issues that it may face.
“In our industry we are constantly faced with new challenges as our products and the environment in which they grow are always evolving, thanks to Mother Nature. It is therefore essential that we have the right processes in place to help deliver on our commitment to providing customers with the cleanest tree possible,” said Mr Cullinan.
“We are proud to be an industry leader in the Research and Development into early detection and prevention of soil borne diseases in fruit trees. At Birdwood we recently established a R&D company committed to continue testing rootstocks tolerant to soil borne diseases for the benefit of our clients and the industry at large.”
In nursery production, biosecurity is essential for protection against the introduction of insects, diseases, weeds and other biological organisms that may adversely impact on the business and its products.
The BioSecure HACCP program provides growers with the decision-making tools to support on-farm biosecurity and guide them in identifying the risks and the steps they need to take to control them.
“Given the environment in which we operate, our ability to respond quickly and effectively to combat biosecurity issues is essential and our accreditation confirms how seriously we take these issues,” said Mr Cullinan.
Birdwood Nursery specialises in providing wholesale fruit trees to commercial growers and retail customers across Australia and has been awarded the Best Large Production Nursery in Queensland for the past two years. The nursery hopes to take home the national award, presented by the Nursery & Garden Industry Australia, in Melbourne on April 1.
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