Over the last two years the South Australian wine industry has experienced significant challenges associated with international shipping, including delays, difficulty accessing shipping containers, significant cost increases and shipping bypassing Adelaide altogether.

Wineries have reported orders being cancelled due to the inability to secure shipping to markets in a timely manner according to South Australian Wine Industry Association (SAWIA).

Whilst COVID-19 is a major contributing factor to the challenges it is not the single cause, a spokeperson for SAWIA said.

Australian ports have been internationally uncompetitive with greater costs, worse performance and reliability than our international competitors well before the outbreak of the global pandemic.

In a recent submission to the Productivity Commission’s inquiry into Australia’s Maritime Logistics System, SAWIA pointed out the current challenges experienced by members and calls for action to alleviate short-term issues.

SAWIA also raises the need for bringing the performance of Australian ports up to international benchmarks and improving port, road and rail infrastructure in the long term.

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