A row is brewing in South Australia's tomato industry after a Virginia grower claimed a destructive plant virus had returned, despite authorities insisting there is no evidence to support the alarm.
Tony Sacca told 5AA breakfast radio that he suspected tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) was affecting his crop again. The virus devastated several Adelaide Plains properties in 2024, causing crop losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars for some growers. But Sacca's warning came with a critical caveat: he conducted his own swab test, which he believed showed a "more positive" result, yet he never contacted official authorities to confirm his suspicion through laboratory testing.
On 22 September 2025, the eradication response activities for ToBRFV were stood down after authorities concluded the virus could not be eradicated from Australia. ToBRFV was detected in August 2024 in the Northern Adelaide Plains, South Australia, and the most recent detection of ToBRFV in South Australia was in March 2025. Since then, testing has found nothing.
PIRSA says it last inspected Sacca's plants in December and found no virus. Officials believe his crop losses stem from a more common plant virus instead. "We just think it's important to reassure people that there has been no detection of this disease in South Australia recently or in the last 12 months," PIRSA's Nick Secomb said.
The industry has pushed back hard. Peak body AUSVEG issued a statement warning that Sacca's false claim "puts our entire $300 million greenhouse sector at risk of losing interstate trade". The virus discovery has now prompted Queensland, Western Australia and New Zealand to restrict South Australian tomato imports. Any hint of virus resurgence threatens those delicate trade arrangements.
Sacca's decision to air his concerns on radio rather than report them to authorities first raises questions about how the industry can respond to genuine concerns while protecting itself from unverified alarms. In a sector already traumatised by the 2024 outbreak, the psychological cost is real. "I can't go through this again. Personally, I can't go through it again," Sacca told 7NEWS. He has now decided to exit tomato growing altogether.
That said, the tension between grower anxiety and official assurance points to a real communication challenge. Growers operating in a sector that has already suffered massive disruption have legitimate reason to be vigilant. In tomatoes, ToBRFV can reduce marketable yield by up to 75 percent, making caution understandable even if it proves costly to others. The virus remains present in Australia, and the National Management Group decided that ToBRFV is no longer technically feasible to eradicate from Australia, meaning the industry must learn to live with the threat rather than eliminate it.
PIRSA is now seeking Sacca's permission to conduct fresh testing on his property. For growers navigating uncertainty and trauma, the path forward depends on careful communication between farmers and authorities, backed by quick, transparent testing. Until then, the industry will remain vulnerable to the kind of panic that Sacca's radio appearance sparked.
At the end of the day, farmers protect their livelihoods through vigilance, but an entire sector suffers when individual concerns bypass official verification channels. Better systems for rapid farmer reporting and testing might prevent the next alarm from becoming a crisis.