Da’Salvatore owner Tony Sacca will resume his tomato trade to Queensland, after being cleared of the tomato brown rugose fruit virus

A SA tomato grower can now re-enter the QLD market and is hoping to recoup $500,000 of lost revenue, but other farmers are still in limbo due to a highly-contagious virus.

A South Australian farmer will send cherry tomatoes to Queensland this weekend, after being locked out from the state for three months resulting in $500,000 of lost revenue.

Da’Salvatore owner Tony Sacca was told on Wednesday his family-owned Virginia tomato farm was clear of the highly-contagious tomato brown rugose fruit virus.

“I’m happy to have received the news, but I know the pain other growers are going through as they wait their results,” Mr Sacca said.

“The virus has been handled wrongly and I’m disappointed with the heavy-handed approach ... everyone has been brought to their knees and people have been forced to chop crops.”

Three farms, including a major producer, were shutdown in September after being detected as having the ToBRFV virus with 17 other growers linked to the outbreak.

Western Australia and QLD shut its borders to the SA due to the outbreak – believed to be from imported seeds – while the NSW market is heavily restricted and Victoria remains open.

Farmers were forced to rip out healthy crops and throw millions of dollars of produce in the bin, as authorities tried to eradicate the virus from the $230m industry.

Da’Salvatore owner Tony Sacca will send tomatoes into Queensland after being locked out. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Gawler River Tomatoes ripped out its crop after being quarantined by the state government. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Mr Sacca removed about 14,000 plants at the time and replanted at a cost of $60,000, but he said the value of lost revenue was much higher.

“The loss of sales over a three-month period is probably closer to $500,000-$600,000 and I’m only a small grower,” he said. “We’ll hopefully recoup the money over the season, but that’s only if the conditions of the market are good.”

However, Perfection Fresh chief executive Michael Simonetta said they had no indication of when trade at their 43ha farm would resume, after being one of the first shutdown.

Mr Simonetta said they’ve had to let go of “hundreds” of workers and while typically this time of year there would be more than 1200 employees, “we have around 300”.

“We have also not been told how to go about formally requesting compensation or what the pathway to compensation will be as a result of this government-enforced lockdown,” he said.

“This puts incredible strain and uncertainty on our business.”

Perfection Fresh – one of Australia’s largest fruit and vegetable producer – has been quarantined by the state government. Picture: Perfection Fresh

Aus Veg SA chief executive Jordan Brooke-Barnett said the industry was “generally coping well” but restricted market access was of significant concern and some individual growers had been considerably impacted.

Opposition spokeswoman Nicola Centofanti said the government had broken its promise of a 10-day testing turn around for farmers.

A Primary Industries and Regions SA spokeswoman said all businesses wanting to sent tomatoes, capsicum and chills to WA and QLD were required to sample and certify their product which had “increased demand on laboratories”.

The state government opened a testing facility at SARDI at the end of October, helping ease demand on the two other interstate laboratories, she said.

While plant destruction and decontamination at three properties found to be infected with the virus was expected “to take several weeks”.

Originally published as Da’Salvatore owner Tony Sacca will resume his tomato trade to Queensland, after being cleared of the tomato brown rugose fruit virus