WISA's work on oak and cork imports
Wine Industry Suppliers Australia (WISA) represents the suppliers, importers and service providers behind Australia's wine value chain. Oak (barrels and alternatives) and cork closures are critical, highly specialised inputs for Australian winemaking. Most of them come from Europe and North America through tightly managed international supply chains.
Our members fully support Australia's strong biosecurity framework. They know the serious risk Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) poses to Australian agriculture, horticulture and households. Their businesses, and the wineries they supply, depend on keeping BMSB out of Australia.
What's happening
Several offshore BMSB treatment providers had their accreditations suspended or cancelled in 2025. This disrupted oak and cork imports, and importers have told us about:
- Unplanned costs from re-treating goods or redirecting shipments
- Clearance delays that mean wineries receive barrels and closures late, sometimes after vintage needs have passed
- Bottlenecks caused by the small number of accredited treatment facilities in Australia, which also cost more than European facilities
- Extra freight costs to reach approved facilities, with none currently in Western Australia or Tasmania
- Risk to product quality, because heat treatment can dry out barrels and affect their structure, and partly unpacking containers for treatment can damage goods
The scale of the category
WISA has set up a working group of major oak and cork importers. Their estimates show:
- About 300 containers of oak and cork products come into Australia each year
- Together they are worth about $65 million a year
- More than 95% arrive during the BMSB seasonal window. Importers don't choose this timing. It's set by northern hemisphere harvest and cooperage schedules, the demand cycle of Australian vintage, and international shipping availability
This is a small, concentrated and well-understood import category. It is managed by a small number of experienced importers with strong compliance histories and established offshore treatment relationships.
What WISA is doing
WISA is bringing affected businesses together to:
- Establish the real commercial and operational impact
- Identify realistic, evidence-based advocacy points
- Engage constructively with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and other industry associations
Our position
We are not asking for any reduction in Australia's biosecurity protections.
Independent review: fumigation as an alternative to heat treatment
WISA engaged the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) to carry out an independent desktop review. The review looked at whether fumigation is a viable alternative to heat treatment for oak barrels and cork imported into Australia.
Heat treatment can dry out barrels and affect their structure, and treatment capacity in Australia is limited. WISA wanted an evidence-based view on whether approved fumigation treatments could offer a practical option that still fully meets Australia's biosecurity requirements.
The review drew together existing published research, regulatory guidance and industry data to answer three questions:
- Technical feasibility. Can approved fumigation treatments meet Australia's BMSB biosecurity requirements without affecting the integrity of oak?
- Residues and the finished wine. What is the residue and migration profile of these fumigants in finished wine?
- Regulatory and certification implications. What would fumigation mean for conventional, organic and biodynamic wine production, both in Australia and in our key export markets?
The review gives WISA and its members an independent, evidence-based foundation for industry partners on practical, risk-proportionate treatment pathways.
[Read the full AWRI report] |
[Download the one-page summary]
Affected by BMSB measures on oak or cork imports? Contact WISA at executivechair@wisa.org.au to join the working group and share your experience.
