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.

Vale Dick Sedgwick

  Longstanding apple and pear industry leader and Batlow apple grower Dick Sedgwick has died, aged 84. Dick will be well known to many growers nationally from his time on the executive of the Australian Apple and Pear Growers Association (AAPGA), as a former chairman of Batlow Co op, and as a President of NSW [...]

By |July 16th, 2019|News|
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Call for APAL Director nominations

Apple and Pear Australia Ltd (APAL) is seeking nominations from A Class members of APAL who live in Tasmania or Queensland, and/or grow pears, and are interested in filling three Director vacancies on the Board of APAL representing the states of Tasmania, Queensland, and Pears respectively. APAL Directors hold office for three years, after which [...]

By |July 16th, 2019|APAL, News, Pears, Queensland, Tasmania|
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Coles joins the supply chain revolution

Coles have leveraged their partnership with Microsoft to launch a new ‘cloud platform’ called Azure to host all its applications and data collection processes. This brings it into line with Woolworths, who launched their own supply chain data platform with start-up Escavox earlier this year. Coles strategic aim is to use artificial intelligence to become [...]

By |July 16th, 2019|Chain of Responsibility, News, Technology and robotics|
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Cosmic Crisp® arrives in Australia

Red Rich Fruits secures exclusive Australian rights to Cosmic Crisp® Apples. After widespread planting in the US, the Cosmic Crisp® apple is launching in Australia thanks to an exclusive agreement between Yarra Valley-based fruit grower, packer, and marketer Red Rich Fruits and varietal managers Proprietary Variety Management (PVM). A red apple with striking starburst-like lenticels, [...]

By |July 15th, 2019|Branding, Marketing, News, Opportunities, Varieties and rootstock|
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How do I keep up with data?

The APAL Industry Forum that took place in Melbourne on June 24 hosted a number of speakers that canvassed the future of agricultural technology with a mixture of optimism and hard truths. Stefan Hajkowicz opened the day speaking about the changing tide as a literal ocean rip that can be fought in a futile struggle [...]

By |July 10th, 2019|Chain of Responsibility, Future Business, Machinery and mechanisation, Market insights, News, Orchard design and density, Technology and robotics|
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Playing On The World Stage

An expert panel at the APAL Industry Forum in June roundly agree that export is the way forward for apples and pears, just as it was for table grapes and citrus. “You guys have to export.” This was the short and to-the-point summary of the apple industry’s situation from Jeff Scott, CEO of the Australian [...]

By |July 10th, 2019|Exporting, Industry Issues, Market access, News|
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Winter Biosecurity update

Winter is the perfect time to ensure your farm biosecurity plan is in working order, says the NSW Department of Primary Industries’ Plant Biosecurity Officer Pip Cotter. Winter is a good time to focus on re-evaluating, improving or creating an effective biosecurity plan while the orchard and the pests and diseases that threaten it lie [...]

By |July 10th, 2019|Biosecurity, Hygiene and food safety, News, Pests, diseases and weeds|
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Water shortage a unifying issue

From left: Stuart Burgess (Tas), Susie Green (SA), Robert Hardie (NSW), Mitchell McNab (Vic), and Nardia Stacy (WA). Supporting growers to manage orchards in the face of looming water shortages was top of the agenda when apple and pear industry leaders met in Melbourne this week. State Association representatives from across the country [...]

By |July 3rd, 2019|Fruit quality and monitoring, Industry Issues, Labour / employment, News, NSW-ACT, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, WA|
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Hailstorm Heroes wins Marketer of the Year award

  APAL congratulates Hort Innovation's Olivia Grey for winning the Marketer of the Year award after her role in the successful Hailstorm Heroes campaign developed to highlight the good eating quality of South Australian apple and pears despite superficial blemishes incurred in major hailstorms early in the growing season in 2018. The campaign was well [...]

By |July 3rd, 2019|Hort Innovation, Hort Innovation apple and pear marketing, Netting, hail and sunburn, News, South Australia, Value added products|
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APAL Industry Forum 2019 highlights opportunities

Dr Hugo Britt looks at three key areas of opportunity that emerged from APAL’s 2019 Industry Forum. The 2019 APAL Industry Forum took place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Melbourne on June 24. One hundred and eighty members of the apple and pear industry came together at the Melbourne Convention [...]

By |July 3rd, 2019|Exporting, Machinery and mechanisation, Market insights, News, Technology and robotics|
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