Category Archives: April

hand sanitiser

Organic Hand Sanitiser

April,
Organic Hand Sanitiser

How did it happen?

This week Harris Organic started production of its own certified organic hand sanitiser for the need of Harris Organic customers.

After many enquiries, Harris was able to obtain a recipe from the WHO and a statement from the TGA regarding the exemption on excise of food-grade alcohol for hand sanitiser to assist in the battle against COVID-19 virus.

For Harris Organic to make ethanol firstly he has to grow the grapes on the certified organic land (the only block in Perth), harvest and make wine in a particular style for distillation before the refinement process. The spirit is distilled three times to reach its ultimate purity before it is made into certified organic Hand Sanitiser.

What You Need To Know:

– Organic Hand Sanitiser makes no claims it kills 99.9% of germs

– It contains 80% organic ethyl alcohol (ethanol) which is the approved amount for the TGA recipe

– It only contains organic ethanol, glycerine, hydrogen peroxide, water & no other additives.

– It’s not as effective as soap and water.

– It’s more effective than lower alcohol hand sanitisers

– It comes in a 750 mL bottle NB it is not wine.

– It can be sprayed or pumped and has a beautiful natural brandy fragrance

– This product is certified organic, vegan and cruelty-free

– It dries super quickly so you can get back to what you were doing

– It’s suitable to use on all skin types, even on children’s skin

BUY Hand Sanitiser HERE

Specific formulations excluded from TGA regulation for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic

On 28 March 2020, specified hand sanitiser formulations were excluded from TGA regulation, as long as they only contain particular ingredients in particular quantities in the final formulation, and comply with certain manufacturing practices, and advertisement and labelling conditions. Provided that the exact formulation and other requirements are followed, this formulation is permitted for use in both healthcare facilities and consumer use.

This exclusion will facilitate the urgent and continued supply of large volumes of hand sanitisers in Australia.

The formulations are based on advice by the World Health Organization and similar decisions by the US Food and Drug Administration. The final formulation of the hand sanitiser must contain only the following ingredients:

  • EITHER ethanol 80% v/v (pharmacopoeial grade or food standard grade) OR isopropyl alcohol 75% v/v (pharmacopoeial grade) in an aqueous solution;
  • sterile distilled water or boiled cold water;
  • glycerol 1.45% v/v (pharmacopoeial grade);
  • hydrogen peroxide 0.125% v/v (pharmacopoeial grade); and
  • does not contain any other active or inactive ingredients, including colours, fragrances or emollients.

There are strict requirements for the labelling of these products. Manufacturers must also test the alcohol concentrations of each batch, manufacture under sanitary conditions and maintain production record-keeping. The legislation enabling production of these sanitisers is the Therapeutic Goods (Excluded Goods – Hand Sanitisers) Determination 2020.

The products will continue to be regulated as consumer goods under Australian Consumer Law. Manufacture of this product is not considered compounding.

BUY Hand Sanitiser HERE

Removing Caltrop from your vineyard

April, , ,

Removing Caltrop Seeds from your vineyard

Caltrop (Tribulus terrestrilus) can also be called bindi eye, GG’s, Cats head

Removing Caltropseeds and seedlings, an obligate summer grower in the Swan Valley Wine Region of Perth Western Australia. It only appears after summer rains. In some years it is really bad, in others it will not be seen. There are also several similar native species, but these generally have less spiny fruits.

Eradication is essential, and vigilance against introduction is critical.

Readily controlled by herbicides in most situations, a few other pasture plants are alive at the same time, and selective control is easy in lawns and grass pasture. It generally grows too low to mow but could be controlled by solarising.
It is definitely a plant against which an eradication campaign is worth mounting. Incidentally, the original caltrop was a weapon of war – an iron device with four tetrahedral prongs that were strewn in the path of enemy horses. Whichever way it fell, one prong was always upright, ready to lame the horse.

Charming – but walk on the plant with bare feet and you will agree that it has been well named!

Removing Caltrop
Harvested Caltrop

Caltrop in an Organic Vineyard.

Occasionally, Duncan finds some caltrop seeds and seedlings in the vineyard. It grows after summer rains and we have had a few showers this year.

In row three in the shiraz plantings, right in the middle of the row, was a larger plant 800mm diameter, with lots of dried seeds besides some 20 other smaller plants.

What is an organic vigneron to do? He can not use herbicide.

A wheelbarrow, pair of snips and a dustpan and broom are all required besides some patience.  Watch the video to get a better idea of what we do.

Firstly, spot the bright verdant green caltrop plant in the late afternoon sun. Using the snips cut the taproot, then lift the plant carefully and remove it to the wheelbarrow. Then with the dustpan and broom sweep up all the loose sand and seeds from the plant area. Most dried seeds are within a hand span of the crown.

The removing caltrop seedlings are nearly done.

Next is the hard part, walk all the rows to check for other plants, then return in two weeks to check for new plants again before the Autumn rains.

Removing Caltrop Seedlings another video.

You may ask, what do you do with the contents of the wheelbarrow? Duncan puts it in the waste bin for the local tip to compost it. Once he tried to burn the plants. The local authorities saw the smoke and believed that a conflagration was occurring.