Pineapples could rot in the paddock this summer, with unreliable labour blamed

Farm worker shortages in Australia have spread to the summer fruit sector, with labour problems now plaguing the North Queensland pineapple season.

At Rollingstone, just north of Townsville, employers say the problem is not the lack of available, local staff: it is getting them to show up for work.

Rollingstone farmer Damien Berra said he feared ripe fruit might not be picked this season, despite farming just 40 minutes from Townsville, northern Australia’s largest city.

The…