Adelaide Hills Berry Farm in Uraidla closes down after being caught in fruit fly quarantine zone
A popular South Australian berry farm caught within a fruit fly quarantine zone has made the “hard decision” to close down permanently, resulting in the loss of scores of jobs.
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A beloved berry farm caught within a fruit fly quarantine zone has made the “hard decision” to close down permanently, resulting in the loss of 17 jobs.
Adelaide Hills Berry Farm in Uraidla, owned and operated by brothers Dominic and Sam Virgara for almost 20 years, announced on Monday that they were left with no choice but to shut down operations “for good”.
Last month, it was revealed the family-owned business had been forced to destroy hundreds of thousands of dollars of produce after it was found to be within a 15km radius detection point of Queensland fruit fly.
The outbreak was reported after fruit fly maggots were discovered in homegrown peaches on a Glynde property in January. The quarantine is expected to be lifted in May but farm owners said that was too late in a social media post on Monday.
“Dear Customers It’s all OVER!! After getting no assurances from the Government that we will not face this again or their willingness to reduce the 15km quarantine zone, we have made the difficult decision to close the Farm - FOR GOOD!” the post said.
“The hard decision is now made, 15 full time seasonal casuals and 2 full time staff were terminated today. All irrigation and fertigation was turned off. All new plant orders cancelled.
“This message is not to seek sympathy or support, it is solely to let all our wonderful customers know that our berries will no longer be available so please don’t drive to Hills for our berries.”
The post received hundreds of messages of support across their social media channels.
“So devastated to read this. You produced the best raspberries I’ve ever had in Australia. You have made such a difference to the hills and its produce and will be missed by so many,” one person wrote.
Another added: “This is gut wrenching. We are so sorry to hear, we ABSOLUTELY love our berry picking weekends out there. Goodbye to the best strawberries in existence.”
Farm manager Dominic Virgara told The Advertiser last month that the farm sold 90 per cent of its fruit to the Adelaide Farmers Market, with lines up to 100m long each Sunday, as well as at roadside stalls and pick-your-own sessions at the farm.
They could sell their produce outside of the quarantine zone if it was sprayed but Mr Virgara said they want to remain pesticide-free.
“That’s what we believe in, and we just refuse to do that. For us that would destroy our brand, so we would rather take the losses and not fool or compromise the public who come and buy our berries,” he said.
A Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) spokeswoman said last month that the current movement restrictions were a nationally agreed set of rules for a fruit fly outbreak and were not determined by individual states.
“The movement of South Australia’s fruit fly-susceptible produce (which is valued at $1.3bn) and the state’s current pest-free status is dependent on these protocols and processes being followed,” she said.
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Originally published as Adelaide Hills Berry Farm in Uraidla closes down after being caught in fruit fly quarantine zone
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