Frost hits stonefruit crop in Australia's Goulburn Valley

Up to 50 % of the 300,000 tonnes crop may have been lost in the Australian region. Temperatures dropped to minus five degrees in some parts of the region, causing widespread damage. Early estimates indicate that the apricot crop, forecast at 12,000 tonnes, has been wiped out, together with 50 per cent of plums, nectarines and peaches. The damage to pears is still unclear. The industry is blaming the failure of a frost warning system, put in place in 2003, to warn producers of changing climate conditions.