APAL welcomes agreement to remove UK tariffs on Australian apple and pears

APAL has welcomed the Federal Government’s recent announcement that tariffs imposed on Australian apple and pear imports into the UK will be eliminated over the next three years. 

“The announcement is promising for Australian apple and pear exporters. While we await the details of the phasing, we can begin exploring the potential of exporting into a market that each year imports more than the entire Australian apple crop,” said APAL CEO Phil Turnbull. 

“Capturing even a small portion of a market of this size and value would be significant – and we have the product to do it,” said Phil. 

“We’ve always known there’s a niche opportunity in September and October – the final months before the northern hemisphere harvest begins, but Australian apples attract an 8 per cent tariff while apples from Chile and South Africa enjoy zero tariff.”  

“We hope this announcement will level the playing field, and in coming years will allow our industry to compete on what matters to consumers – like the confidence of buying a clean green Australian grown apple and pear!” said Phil. 

Read the full announcement here.