Farmers forced to destroy fruit, vegetable crops due to coronavirus disruptions

Some fruit and vegetable growers who usually supply Australia’s now disrupted food service sector are being forced to destroy healthy crops.

A Victorian grower ploughed leafy vegetables into the ground recently.

AUSTRALIAN fruit and vegetable growers who supply the food service sector and have lost their avenue to market are being forced to destroy healthy crops, says the country’s peak industry body.

AusVeg chief executive James Whiteside said demand for many fresh vegetables had fallen in recent weeks and as restaurants and cafes close or switch to takeaway only, due to coronavirus restrictions, some growers had been forced to plough vegetables into the ground.

“Demand for many fresh vegetable lines has fallen in recent weeks, including fresh salads and other highly perishable vegetable lines that have limited shelf life,” he told The Weekly Times.

“There are already some vegetable growers who are ploughing healthy, high-quality vegetables into the ground as they have lost their avenue to market – particularly those who supply the food service sector, which has been severely disrupted with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.”

As a large proportion of production cost is picking and packing, ploughing crops back into the ground is often the best solution for crops that cannot be sold. It is also beneficial for the soil.

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Mr Whiteside said it was important consumers supported local growers and bought plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

“Many regional and rural communities rely on a strong agriculture industry to survive to ensure that locals, seasonal workers and backpackers alike are able to keep their jobs, work and live safely, and keep the economy running,” Mr Whiteside said.

“It is important that we all work together to lift the demand of fresh Australian fruits and vegetables so that they can continue doing what they do best – growing high-quality, healthy and nutritious fruits and vegetables for Australian families.”

Victorian Farmers Federation horticulture group president Emma Germano said it was “hard to paint (the industry) one way or the other” at the moment, because situations varied differently not only from crop to crop, but also from grower to grower – some experiencing unprecedented demand and others the opposite.

“Nothing is as it usually is,” Ms Germano said.

It comes as a Fruit and Vegetable Consortium, which includes AusVeg and health organisations such as Nutrition Australia and VicHealth, investigate ways to increase Australians’ fruit and vegetable consumption, with most adults and children not eating the recommended daily intake.

Chair of the Consortium and Nutrition Australia chief executive Lucinda Hancock said, “We are hopeful that we can work with industry groups, sectors, farmers, philanthropists and others with a goal to fostering a healthier population to develop a business case for a substantial behaviour change campaign that will make a difference for generations of Australians”.

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