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Tomato virus outbreak halts operations at Victorian glasshouse

Over 100 workers at a Victorian tomato glasshouse were indefinitely stood down due to the outbreak of tomato brown rugose fruit virus at Katunga Fresh. Agriculture Victoria implemented quarantine measures after detecting the virus, which had spread from South Australia, where it was first identified five months prior.

The virus has led to extensive crop destruction in South Australia, with growers forced to eradicate thousands of plants and navigate state import restrictions. While the virus poses no risk to consumers, it can reduce crop yields by up to 70%. Efforts are underway to eradicate the virus and mitigate its impact on the industry.

Katunga Fresh, employing around 160 individuals, including locals and migrant workers from the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, has been placed under quarantine. Moira Shire Council administrator Graeme Edmonson stated, "The site is being quarantined and therefore operations there need to cease, so 100 employees are being laid off." An additional 20 staff were stood down the previous week.

Mercy Quiambao, a Filipino agribusiness student and packer at Katunga Fresh, expressed her concerns, stating, "I feel so sad and devastated because this is already our home and I already built a community here." She emphasized the financial strain, saying, "I have to pay tuition fees and I'm relying on my job and I have family waiting for me to send money back home."

According to biosecurity protocols, affected businesses must undertake measures to eradicate the virus, managed by Agriculture Victoria. This includes site decontamination and temporary closure. The federal government is investigating the importation of infected seeds into South Australia.

Source: ABC News

Workers affected can be seen in the video from WIN NEWS below:

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