News

APAL distributes news and media releases about Australia’s apple and pear industry, providing opinion and insights into matters that affect growers and the broader industry, and facts and figures on industry issues. You can subscribe to APAL news directly to get email alerts when we release news, or join us on twitter or facebook, or see all our recent news and media releases here.

Journalists who would like an interview with an APAL staff member or Board Director, or who want information on the apple and pear industry in Australia are welcome to contact Alison Barber Communications & Industry Engagement, on cm@apal.org.au, 03 9329 3511 or 0424 004 070 or Richelle Zealley Communications & Events Officer, on rzealley@apal.org.au, 0438 364 728.

Whole-of-chain ‘buy in’ key to brand quality

Growers attending the southern loop Future Orchards® walks heard from Rick Derrey, Director of Horticulture and Grower Relations at T&G Global Limited,Washington State, USA, on how growers are working collaboratively across the supply chain to deliver consistent quality. The recent Apple and Pear Crop Estimate  provides further evidence of the rapid growth in managed varieties in [...]

By |March 20th, 2019|Branding, Fruit quality and monitoring, Future Orchards, News|
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Hailstorm Heroes returns in 2019

After devastating hailstorms in South Australia late last year, new season fruit has been left dotted with hail marks for the second year running. South Australian growers want to assure consumers that a few spots on the skin of the fruit do not affect the texture or flavour in any way. However, to draw attention [...]

By |March 20th, 2019|Hort Innovation apple and pear marketing, Netting, hail and sunburn, News, Packaging and stickers|
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FRUITCo, Jeftomson’s packhouse revolution

Geoffrey Thompson Holdings Limited, more commonly known as Jeftomson, has received a $15 million grant from the Federal Government for its ‘FRUITCo’ project. The project consists of the purchase of high-tech new food handling equipment that will significantly reduce packing cost, which will allow the Australian industry to be more competitive in the international market. [...]

By |March 20th, 2019|Exporting, Machinery and mechanisation, News|
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US growers share experience at IFTA

Contents of this article were sourced from GrowingProduce.com, the aggregate site of American/Western Fruit Grower, American Vegetable Grower, and Florida Grower magazines. Find the original articles by Christina Herrick here and here. Roger Bannister's multileader trees planted in 2015 are seen here at Excelsior Farms. (Photo: Christina Herrick) The International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA) held its [...]

By |March 12th, 2019|Conference, Machinery and mechanisation, News, Varieties and rootstock, Young tree development|
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APAL visits new variety growers in Tasmania

From left: Gary Hopewell and Allan McWaters from the DAF with Andrew Smith of R&R Smith The yet-to-be-officially-named RS103-110 was put on display for variety partners at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) during February. Head of Group Brands Craig Chester, who is managing new apple variety projects on behalf of APAL, [...]

By |March 5th, 2019|Branding, News, Tasmania, Varieties and rootstock|
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Indonesia-Australian agreement paves way for more workers

On 4 March, the Australian government signed the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement after eight years of negotiations. Part of the agreement will see an increase the amount of work and holiday visas for Indonesians from 1000 to 5000, which will increase the number of seasonal workers available next season. The agreement should not otherwise [...]

By |March 5th, 2019|Labour / employment, News|
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APAL welcomes Larissa Vaughan to Events role

Larissa Vaughan has joined the Communications team as the new Program Manager, taking over from Richelle Zealley who has moved into a new role within APAL. Larissa comes from an extensive background in association/membership event management, including senior event and program manager roles with Australian Institute of Company Directors, CPA, and, most recently, the Urban Development [...]

By |March 5th, 2019|APAL, News|
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Southern Victoria Future Orchards® walk postponed

Notice to growers regarding Future Orchards® walk tomorrow   Over the weekend, you will have seen reports in the media regarding bushfires in the Bunyip State Park area, not far from our planned Future Orchards® walk venue tomorrow. Thankfully, our host Brad Fankhauser has confirmed that he and the property are safe and secure. However, [...]

By |March 4th, 2019|Future Orchards, News, Victoria|
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Quality assured in WA apples

Western Australian apple growers have launched an intensive apple quality testing program this week to coincide with the launch of 2019 apple season to let consumers know that 'when you choose to buy a WA apple, it will be a great apple'. A 2017 survey by independent consumer group CHOICE found apples — more than [...]

By |February 27th, 2019|Fruit quality and monitoring, News, WA|
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ACCC update: written agreements and collective bargaining

  The ACCC has released its half-yearly Small business in focus report, covering the latest developments across the small business, franchising, and agriculture sectors. From July to December 2018, the ACCC received 114 reports and enquiries about agriculture matters. Most of these were about misleading conduct/false representations and consumer guarantees. The report highlights a number of small business [...]

By |February 20th, 2019|Industry Issues, News|
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