The strawberry needle sabotage crisis has created a 14% drop in Queensland’s strawberry industry, according to a new report from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
The contamination of strawberries in September of 2018 saw the fruit pulled from supermarket shelves, farmers dumping en masse and local job losses.
The report says strawberries are due for a comeback this year, with record seasonal yields, improvements to standards and training in the supply chain, and the installation of metal detectors in packing sheds.