Werribee South market gardeners fear they may have to shut down
due to lack of space at the new Epping fruit and vegetable market.
Growers say they will be short-changed by next year’s opening of
the state government facility that replaces the existing market in
Footscray Road, West Melbourne.
They claim there are only 200 vegetable grower stalls, meaning
at least 100 growers will miss out and forcing many Werribee South
farmers to the wall. Michael Toffolon, whose family moved to Werribee
South in the 1930s, said he had refused his granddaughter’s request to
work on the family farm because “I can’t guarantee her a job”.
Vegetable Growers’ Association of Victoria president David Wallace
said the “forced” relocation of sellers to Epping meant at least 100
growers would lose their market stands.
“We have people in Werribee South who have three or four
generations who have built up their market gardens, who might have to
give it all up,” Mr Wallace said.
Major Projects Minister David Hodgett’s spokesman, Steve Mann,
said the government had “inherited” the smaller Epping market from the
previous Labor government and confirmed there was a shortfall in trading
space for vegetable growers.
He said experts had been called in to work out how to optimise the
space, but this research was being assessed along with submissions by
growers.
Alex Berias, whose family started a market garden in Werribee
South in 1938, said if growers were forced to close it would have a
ripple effect on the local economy.
“We farmers hire people to farm the land, fix machinery and more and we buy lots of things,” he said.
“Many of the Werribee South farmers have made multimillion-dollar
investments in infrastructure and employ a lot of people, but what do we
do if we can’t sell?”
A legal stoush between the government and wholesale marketers is
continuing. The government spokesman said this could affect the planned
opening.
