Perfection Fresh Australia has announced the “forced loss of a significant number of jobs” as an outbreak of the highly-contagious tomato virus sweeps through South Australia.

Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) has been detected at three properties on the Northern Adelaide Plains, including the company’s Two Wells site.

The state government has placed the infected properties under lockdown, halting all tomato production indefinitely.

Perfection Fresh chief executive Michael Simonetta said the decision has forced him to let go of workers in his tomato business.

“The impact of the lockdown on our employees and their families is simply devastating,” he said.

“With no timeline for when the lockdown might be lifted, we have no choice but to stand down workers, some of whom have been with us for many years.

“We would hope to re-hire as many as possible when production resumes in the future but, in the meantime, our only option is to help them find work elsewhere.”

Perfection Fresh is working with the state government, unions and other producers to help impacted employees find new roles.

The company is one of the country’s largest fruit and vegetable growers. None of its other produce is affected.

Queensland and Western Australia have banned tomatoes from South Australia while New South Wales is only accepting tomatoes from businesses cleared of the virus.

Perfection Fresh said it has already lost hundreds of thousands of tonnes or plant and fruit, claiming the vast majority were uninfected by the virus.

“The imposition of interstate bans on tomatoes and other South Australian produce raises the prospect of escalating costs across the industry and, ultimately, prices for consumers,” Simonetta said.

South Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) said no tomato shortages or price rises are expected as a result of these detections at this stage.

The virus was first detected and confirmed in August, with authorities claiming it was the first cases in Australia.

Quarantine measures are in place on and around the infected properties as surveillance and tracing efforts are underway to determine the source of the virus and how it spread.

The PIRSA are working with affected businesses to minimise cross contamination.

More than 2500 plant samples have been taken for testing from 18 different businesses as of September 17. 

The PIRSA are following up with four businesses in case of infected seeds.

What is the tomato brown rugose fruit virus?

The tomato brown rugose fruit virus is highly contagious, can survive for months and affects tomatoes, capsicums and chillies.

Contaminated tomatoes can appear yellow or discoloured with mottling patterns and deformities.

The virus can spread through infected seed, plants, grafts and cutting, direct plant to plant contact and touch transmission by handling contaminated clothing and equipment.

It is regarded as a considerable threat to Australia’s vegetable industry and can reduce marketable yield by up to 75 per cent in tomatoes.

The virus has no affect to human health.

The tomato virus was first detected in the Middle East in 2014 and spread across Europe, China, Mexico and the USA before it reached Australia a decade later in August.