A South Australian tomato grower who is losing thousands of dollars a day is demanding evidence of the virus which has forced him to shut down his business.
Tony Sacca has questioned the Department of Primary Industries and Regions’ (PIRSA) heavy-handed tactics and believes growers should be allowed to manage tomato brown rugose fruit virus but bio-security officials want to eradicate the highly contagious plant virus.
Despite waiting for over six weeks, Sacca’s tomato test results for the virus remain inconclusive, leaving him in a state of uncertainty regarding the sale of his produce.
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“Six or seven weeks later, not knowing if we can sell, not knowing if we don’t have the virus is really not good enough,” he said.
Other growers who confirmed the presence of the virus have already discarded tonnes of stock, resulting in job losses and empty greenhouses.
Faced with mounting financial losses, Sacca made the difficult decision to halt his operations until the situation becomes clearer.
“If I keep on growing, I’m losing money, so I’m better off chopping… waiting,” he said.
Sacca is demanding more comprehensive results from PIRSA, which has begun releasing them to growers still in limbo.
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The agency says the virus is limited to three properties and that over 3,000 test results have been received, leading to the clearance of 10 properties. However, 12 sites are still awaiting their results.
To expedite the process, a laboratory will be set up at the SA Research and Development Institute.
However, it will take several weeks to receive national accreditation and approval.
Western Australia and Queensland have imposed a blanket ban on South Australian tomatoes due to the virus, a major blow to growers like Sacca who sell most of their product interstate.
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
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