Strawberry growers are becoming nervous about their future, as the contamination crisis worsens.

There are now nine confirmed cases of strawberries being contaminated with needles, with five Australian states affected.

It’s believed up to six brands of strawberries could be impacted by the pin and needle contamination: Berry Obsession, Berry Licious, Delightful Strawberries, Love Berry, Donnybrook Berries and Oasis.

The issue has now spread across the Tasman, with two distributors in New Zealand taking the Australian-grown fruit off their shelves as a precaution.

Owner of LuvaBerry and Vice President of the QLD Strawberry Growers Association Adrian Schultz says the discoveries will have a “far-reaching impact” on the industry.

“It doesn’t just affect the farmers. It affects all the people who supply the farms, the truck drivers,” he tells Chris Smith.

“They’ve got families to support and all of a sudden their work dries up.”

With contamination now so widespread, Mr Schultz says it appears there are “copycats” in action.

“I cannot understand the thinking of these people but some people want their two seconds of fame and they think it’s funny.

“But they just don’t realise the repercussions of what they’re doing.”

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