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.

A beacon for women in agriculture

For the past two and a half years, Susie Murphy White has been an Industry Project Manager for Pomewest, where she has established a reputation as the go-to technical expert among WA apple and pear growers. Susie Murphy White Her instrumental advisory role in the Future Orchards® program, unflappable enthusiasm, expertise and commitment [...]

By |January 10th, 2019|News, Voice of Horticulture, WA|
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Northern Tasmania declared fruit fly free

Northern Tasmania was officially reinstated as a Pest Free Area today, re-opening the door to domestic trade. Fruit Growers’ Tasmania, CEO, Stuart Burgess welcomed the positive news and thanked Tasmanian growers impacted by the exclusion zone. “There have been no fruit flies detected in Northern Tasmania over the past six months thanks to a collaborative [...]

By |January 9th, 2019|Biosecurity, Exporting, News|
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Expanded labour options, but some new laws too

A lot has changed on the labour front since last harvest. Rob Hayes, Victorian State Manager of the National Harvest Labour Information Service (NHLIS) provides an update on changes to labour law, labour-hire licensing and visa flexibility and a word of advice to growers to take care they know and comply with newly-introduced laws. The [...]

By |January 9th, 2019|Labour / employment, News|
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Early Engagement Core to Market Access in China

With market access negotiations underway for Australian mainland apples and strong progress made towards the launch of Pink Lady® in China, Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) are doubling down on their efforts to forge relationships in the region. “This is our third visit to mainland China in the last 12 months,” said Andrew Hooke, [...]

By |January 9th, 2019|Market access, News|
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Simplifying quality at Nightingales

Simplicity is not the first word that springs to mind when considering the complexity of running five orchards across two states, a large packhouse and a fledgling cider operation. But at Nightingale Brothers, based in Victoria’s north east, continually striving for a way of delivering better quality more efficiently and smoothly is a goal that [...]

By |January 9th, 2019|Fruit quality and monitoring, Harvest management, News, Post-harvest quality, Profile|
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Growing juice company squeezes more from premium market

Written by Andrew Spence. This article first appeared in The Lead South Australia. A juice company that began a decade ago with fruit, dreams and no customers has become a national premium beverage brand and is eyeing export markets. Siblings Joyce and Joseph Ceravolo in the Ashton Valley orchard. Picture: James Knowler. The recent success [...]

By |January 9th, 2019|News, Value added products|
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Southern Victoria orchard tour

Following the 2019 Post-harvest seminar, APAL is hosting a one-day tour of the Southern Victoria apple growing region, Gippsland on Thursday, 17 January 2019. Participants will travel on a bus guided by APAL Technical Manager Angus Crawford and Horticultural Adviser Marcel Veens visiting state-of-the-art packing facilities, owners and managers of some of the most progressive apple [...]

By |December 19th, 2018|News|
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NSW Hailstorm update

Coming just weeks after hailstorms swept the Adelaide Hills region, heavy midnight storm systems over Orange, NSW, dumped 20 millimeters of rain in just 14 minutes with far higher rainfall totals recorded over the December 13 - 14 period. Accompanied by hail and heavy winds, apple and cherry crops were heavily impacted. Those apple orchards [...]

By |December 19th, 2018|Netting, hail and sunburn, News|
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Update on Apple and Pear Marketing Levy

Dear members, Following a presentation from Apple and Pear Australia Ltd (APAL) depicting an alternative marketing strategy and structure during October’s stakeholder meeting, APAL has, at the request of industry, engaged Hort Innovation seeking changes to ensure a more effective marketing program. Hort Innovation and APAL have discussed at length and agree that the ability [...]

By |December 19th, 2018|Marketing, News|
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2018 industry marketing hits top gear

Keeping apples and pears front-of-the-mind and making sure consumers know how to get the best from them underpins levy-funded marketing investment. Hort Innovation’s Olivia Grey shares some of the successes of the 2018 campaign. Apple activity Most of the above-the-line advertising – advertising that targets a broad range of consumers via mass media (i.e. television, [...]

By |December 13th, 2018|Hort Innovation apple and pear marketing, News|
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