Results from 2009's wine grape crush survey show production levels remained steady but the value of the harvest tumbled by 30 per cent. The Murray Valley Winegrowers' chief executive, Mike Stone, says wineries are forecasting another 30 per cent cut to prices this year and the wide-scale exit from the industry has started.

"Just this year we have removed more than 150 individual names from our database for the Murray Darling and Swan Hill wine regions," he said. "These are growers who have told us they are no longer producing wine grapes - that adds up to more than 1,000 hectares. "There are more to come and I think you will see the real change occur in 2010."