Adelaide Hills business Willabrand Fresh Figs set to lose $250k and lay off staff because of fruit fly quarantine area

The Adelaide Hills orchard has been forced to find a novel new source of income as it waits for the green light to get back to work.

A historic fig orchard in the Adelaide Hills will lose $250,000 and has been forced to lay off 15 staff because the farm is within a fruit fly quarantine area, despite the pests not being detected on the property.

Glen Ewin-based Willabrand Fresh Figs is facing a “devastating” season because of the fruit fly quarantine that was imposed in January by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA).

Any farms within the Yellow Suspension quarantine area, which spans 15km, cannot sell their produce to the public.

The outbreak was reported after fruit fly maggots were found in homegrown peaches on a Glynde property in January.

Willabrand Fresh Figs owner Willa Wauchope, 54, said the blanket approach was “unfair”.

Mr Wauchope said they ban will cost them a profit loss of $250,000 and 15 staff lay-offs.

Willa Wauchope at Glen Ewin Estate in Lower Hermitage, with Willabrand Figs. Picture: Matt Loxton

He said being unable to offer a pick-your-own service to customers meant the orchard would be on the “bird map” — where birds discover the fruit and return year after year to feast.

“The most insidious and unseen thing is the fact that our bird mitigation practices revolve around having people on the property to help keep birds away,” Mr Wauchope said.

“Once you’re on the bird map, you’re never off it.”

Willa Wauchope and his wife Mary have run the orchard since the 1990s. Picture: Matt Loxton

Mr Wauchope said the only option would be to put up netting, which would not only cost “millions of dollars” but also “destroy the vista and experience” of the orchard.

He and wife Mary have run the 19th-century orchard since the 1990s, with their figs winning several awards.

With the fruit fly quarantine period set to lift in May, the business is now hosting $20 ‘Pick-To-Eat’ sessions on weekends where visitors can enjoy all-you-can-eat figs while visiting the property.

“It’s the only mechanism we have to generate income now,” he said.

It comes just weeks after Adelaide Hills Berry Farm said the same fruit fly ban would cost them a $750,000 loss in income this year.

In a statement, a PIRSA spokeswoman said they have been working with Mr Wauchope to assist his business in finding pathways to move produce in a way that complies with the restrictions in place.

“PIRSA met with Mr Wauchope yesterday and continues to have productive discussions and explore opportunities to find a tailored solution for his business,” the spokeswoman said.

“The current fruit movement restrictions is a requirement determined under the Australian National Fruit Fly Management Protocol.”

The spokeswoman said many growers have been moving their produce since the beginning of the Glynde fruit fly outbreak under approved arrangements and these options are available to all growers.

The quarantine is expected to lift in May.

Originally published as Adelaide Hills business Willabrand Fresh Figs set to lose $250k and lay off staff because of fruit fly quarantine area