Australian farmers dumping tons of citrus fruit due to labor shortages
May 27 , 2021
Hundreds of tons of Australian citrus fruit are reportedly being dumped due to labor shortages and a lack of demand at supermarkets.
Across Queensland's North Burnett region, the country's largest citrus supplier, entire paddocks of mandarins, lemons and grapefruits rot on the ground, deemed unsellable, 9News reports.
Citrus grower Bevan Young said a shortage of workers early on pushed harvest later into the season, creating an oversupply of fruit as Queensland growers are forced to compete with fruit from other regions.
He said it's likely he'll have to toss half his crop.