Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (14:55): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Primary Industries a question about tomato brown rugose fruit virus.

Leave granted.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: As we have heard, a government decision has resulted in 400 losing work today at Perfection Fresh at Two Wells, and perhaps up to 1,200 during peak season are going to be impacted, and there could be more. The family-owned company, the largest producer of tomatoes, and its workforce, have been left devastated, even heartbroken, with potential losses topping $9 million.

The owners have become increasingly frustrated with PIRSA as they cannot get evidence of the alleged positive results. They fear PIRSA's actions will simply force other growers underground, and not report any suspected tomatoes to the authorities. I am told two other companies have also been shut down, Gawler River Tomatoes and SA Tomatoes, and it is understood the shutdown will last for at least a few weeks. My questions to the minister are:

1. How many other countries or jurisdictions in the world have successfully and permanently eradicated the virus?

2. Why is the government so insistent on trying to eradicate a virus that can't be eradicated, when other countries, like those in Europe and the United States, manage to work with the impacts of the virus?

3. What advice has PIRSA received that prevents them from following the guidelines of other jurisdictions around the world, where the virus has been detected, yet growers are allowed to continue to sell their produce to the South Australian market when even the Premier says the fruit is safe to consume?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:57): I thank the honourable member for his question. In terms of the two other businesses that the honourable member mentioned, they were closed down several weeks ago. There has been no change, to my knowledge or according to my advice, since then. The change that has occurred has been this week in regard to Perfection Fresh.

The advice that is relied on is the technical and scientific advice in regard to whether eradication is feasible. This is a decision that is made on a national level because the establishment or otherwise of an exotic disease has national implications. I think I outlined those reasonably extensively in response to an earlier question today in question time.

There needs to be a national decision about whether eradication is considered feasible or whether we move to management. While the evidence we have shows that there are only three detections, all of which are on the Northern Adelaide Plains, and all were businesses that were already identified as having had detections, it is considered that it is still feasible to eradicate.

The circumstances that we find ourselves in here in Australia are, of course, different to other countries around the world. As an island nation we have particular advantages in the ability to attempt to eradicate disease. In terms of the advice received by PIRSA, as I mentioned, that must rely on national decision-making. The committee that was established a number of weeks ago meets regularly to consider any updates to the information and evidence that is available and provides advice accordingly.