Industry in sales slump

SOME Australian fruit pickers have lost their jobs as a result of the country’s rockmelon-related listeria outbreak, the industry’s peak body says.

The Australian Melon Association says demand for Australian rockmelons remains 90 per cent lower than average almost a month after the outbreak – which has been linked to six deaths – was revealed.

The massive slump in sales is taking its toll on growers.

“We’ve had growers already that have had to let workers go that would’ve been normally picking,” the association’s industry development manager Dianne Fullelove said.

“So there’s already an impact flowing through communities.” Ms Fullelove said export markets had also been “greatly affected” and, in total, growers in southern Australia had already lost about $15 million.

At this rate, growers in the Northern Territory and western Queensland could lose up to $50 million when their season for the fruit starts in about five weeks, she said.

Nineteen people have been infected during the outbreak – linked to a single NSW farm – including the six who subsequently died.