NZ: Fruit growers aim for low residue
Dr Walker said NZ growers chose to turn a market threat — concern over residues and varying requirements from European supermarkets — into an opportunity by voluntarily lowering residue levels.
The Apple Futures program began in 2008 but several pilot projects had run since 2003. This, Dr Walker said, galvanised grower support to launch the national program.
Lowering residue levels in crops requires a huge management effort and much technical knowledge.
At the time, NZ growers were supplying European supermarkets — accounting for 65 per cent of NZ’s apple exports (now about 35 per cent) — and were frustrated by the varying maximum residue limits on their produce.
“We decided to go lower (than what they were asking),” Dr Walker said. “At the same time European growers were protesting, saying they couldn’t go down to those levels (demanded by supermarkets), and so the NZ growers saw that as an opportunity.
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