The country's tomato supply chain is bracing for disruptions and potential price hikes due to the detection of an exotic tomato virus in South Australia. Locally hundreds of jobs have already been lost but an impact on tomato prices is expected to be felt nationally.
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00:00These juicy red SA grown tomatoes have already been banned into Australian states.
00:07A potential lack of supply could see consumers outside of South Australia fork out more for
00:13the product.
00:14So if South Australian tomatoes can't be sent interstate then we'll have more supply here
00:19in South Australia.
00:20So interstate they might see increased prices but here in South Australia they'll be stable
00:25and if anything they could be lower.
00:27The country's first detection of an exotic tomato virus has seen entire plantations dumped.
00:33A devastating blow for growers but consumers may have to wait a little longer before they
00:38know the full impact of the virus.
00:40So it could be months before we see the ramifications of this because the peak season for tomatoes
00:45isn't really until mid-October.
00:48The hundreds of staggered job losses has also been criticised by the South Australian opposition.
00:53This is an absolute debacle in terms of the way that the state government has managed
00:58this.
00:59I'm very pleased to say that a number of the workers who are Pacific Islanders have already
01:02been placed with other organisations.
01:05They are officially and technically employed by an agency rather than direct.
01:10But hundreds of jobs are still in limbo and the United Workers Union is now calling for
01:14financial assistance for workers.
01:17Finding new work is going to be difficult for some of those labour hire workers because
01:21some people have English language concerns, other people, you know, this is their first
01:27job in Australia.
01:28There are pleas for people to continue buying tomatoes with the federal government confirming
01:32the virus is not harmful to humans.