Bushfire crisis: Costa Group berry farm at Tumbarumba, NSW, damaged

An out-of-control bushfire has hit one of Australia’s biggest berry grower’s farms in southeast NSW.

ONE of the Costa Group’s NSW berry farms has been damaged in an out-of-control bushfire in southeast NSW.

The ASX-listed fruit and vegetable grower’s berry farm at Tumbarumba was affected on New Year’s Day.

The Dunns Road Fire — which as of this morning was 131,000ha in size, out of control and moving in a north-easterly direction — reached the Costa property and razed a packing shed and several vehicles.

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Costa leases the property from Vitalharvest.

In a statement released to the stock market today, Vitalharvest said no lives were lost and berry plants had not been “materially impacted”.

A full-site evacuation was conducted before the fire front hit the Tumbarumba property.

An assessment of the damage will be conducted once emergency authorities deem the area safe.

Tumbarumba residents have been advised to evacuate ahead of Saturday when fierce winds are predicted. The area is also in the path of the 104,000ha Green Valley fire, which is feared to push towards Tumbarumba. The region is without phone coverage or electricity.

Costa’s Tumbarumba farm grows about 6 per cent of the company’s berries. It has another berry farm in NSW at Corindi, and eight more in Queensland, Tasmania and WA, which together grow 45 per cent of Australia’s berries and 65 per cent of the nation’s raspberries.