‘Dangerous’ and ‘preventable’; Those are the two words that a majority of Riverland residents have been using in the past few weeks when describing the numerous spillages of grapes across our busy roads. With the busy harvest season here, farmers are looking to maximise profits, and as a consequence trucks are being overfilled and insufficiently secured, resulting in spillages around every corner.
“It is completely preventable.”
“This should not be happening, especially not at this frequency and severity.” Head of the Greater Riverland Area Produce Experts, Mark Spiller said.
“We’ve noticed in recent years a sharp increase in grape spillages, it’s at the point now where the council’s inaction to resolve this issue is going to cause serious road accidents. We need to address this issue now, and swiftly implement an alternative system of transporting produce, these dangerous trucks are not a long-term solution.”
Many concerned local residents have suggested the idea of a rail network as a safe and more efficient alternative, but the local councils are yet to respond regarding the idea.
The Riverlanderer will update as this story develops.
The Riverlanderer 