00:00Some Queensland citrus growers have been hit by hail twice in the same season.
00:08They're now working to remove damaged fruit from the trees to find out how much sellable
00:13product remains.
00:14You can't do nothing with them, there's nothing at all you can do with them when they're marked
00:19like that.
00:20I'm hoping I can sell a composite or a second grade and make a dollar or two out of it.
00:27The Roaths are one of several citrus producers in the north Burnet town of Gainder, four
00:32hours north of Brisbane, who have experienced hailstorms in recent months.
00:37I come out there probably three hours after and there was still ice laying under the trees.
00:45With 70% of his crop damaged, he was considering drastic measures.
00:49I was only thinking of ordering a bulldozer because I'm close to retirement and just putting
00:55a dozer through it.
00:56Most growers have decided to remove the severely affected fruit now, rather than sorting through
01:02the damaged citrus in the packing shed.
01:05Fellow grower Matt Benham was hit by hail twice.
01:10Well luckily it hit trees that had already been hit.
01:14It would have been, we've got one farm that has fared okay, it would have been pretty
01:18devastating if it had copped it as well.
01:21Citrus Australia says while it's a kick in the guts for affected growers, it's unlikely
01:26the hail damage will impact the overall citrus supply.
01:31So we'll be down probably 50-60% overall I'd say, but at the end of the day it just sucks
01:36for the people that have been hit, you don't wish this on anyone.
Comments