Riverland Cherry Tree Heist: Thieves Target Unique Varieties

Dozens of cherry trees have been stolen from a Riverland property owned by one of South Australia's largest producers, with the owner warning that the thefts may affect his overseas export market.

The thefts from Torrens Valley Orchards' Riverland property were reported to police between September 29 and yesterday, with more than 40 young trees, about two years old and a metre tall, appearing to have been ripped out of the ground by hand.

Owner Tony Hannaford said he was shocked to learn about the thefts from his Loveday property and that losses would have an impact on his business.

"The cherries grown in the Riverland are particularly directed towards the export market, and we do have our export buyers coming here next month," he said.

"It's disappointing [about] any loss of potential volume. The export potential is based around what we can grow in the Riverland [and] it's not a good look."

Tony Hannaford said he's worked hard to build up a large-scale operation, taking over the orchard business in 1974 and pivoting from his family's 120-year focus on apples to premium cherries.

Decades on, Torrens Valley Orchards operates about 10 farms covering about 300 hectares across the Adelaide Hills and the Riverland.

The trees are a special variety said to be more resilient to harsher growing conditions.

"We keep planting new varieties that supposedly have better attributes and [are] easy to grow, particularly in the harsh environments like the Riverland that have issues with heat and low chill."

Mr Hannaford said the stolen trees were a patented international self-fertile variety from California called Pacific Red for which he has a special licence to grow.

He estimated a total loss of more than $1,000, with the unique trees being more expensive than generic varieties.

A police spokesperson said the latest theft, which occurred yesterday, reportedly involved three men in a black SUV.

"The three men were described as being of Caucasian appearance and aged 20 to 30 years old," the spokesperson said.

"Police encourage anyone witnessing suspicious behaviour around rural properties to call police immediately."

Police have attended the property near Barmera and are investigating the thefts.