Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
has been renowned internationally for its innovation through the adoption of new
cultivars, such as 'Royal Gala' and 'Braeburn', and of new production methods. It
has also been a leader in the development of new IFP and related practices. During
the 1970s and 1980s scientists anticipated emerging market trends and recognised
the need to find ways of reducing the use of agrochemicals within apple orchards. It
is critically important to appreciate that much of the underpinning scientific studies
that provided the basis for the subsequent development of robust orchard manage-
ment technologies were completed during this period—successes that were only
possible through the previous investment in research and the ongoing commitment
by dedicated individual scientists over a 20-25 year period.
Anticipating the demands of supermarket customers, the apple industry com-
mitted to implementing an integrated fruit production (IFP) programme in 1995 as
a step toward ensuring the continued entry of New Zealand apples onto the global
market. The programme was led by the single desk marketing entity ENZA Ltd,
as the exporter, with active participation and cooperation from scientists, produc-
ers, technologists and consumers. Some of the technology evolved during the pro-
gramme.
The uptake of the subsequent IFP programme was rapid. It was introduced in
1995 and by 2000 most of the export crop was produced using IFP technology
(Fig.
2.2
). In 2009, 92 % of the industry used such methods while 8 % of producers
used certified organic production methods. There was an immediate and marked re-
duction in the use of organophosphates on apple orchards in the late 1990s and also
in the number of fungicide sprays applied during the mid- to late-summer period
(Fig.
2.3
) (Walker
2012
; Wiltshire
2003
).
These earlier programmes that were successful in markedly reducing pesticide
use were subsequently continued to further ensure the competitiveness of the New
Zealand apple industry and its ability to deliver produce to international supermar-
ket chains and achieve premium returns—the “Apple Futures” programme (Kaye-
Blake
2012
; Walker
2012
). This programme was designed to control pests and
pathogens successfully whilst reducing residues on fruit to non-detectable levels
that are significantly below those required by international market regulations. The
programme combines computer modeling for pathogen prediction, monitoring of
insect pests and beneficial organisms, and targeted spraying of pesticides allowing
growers to intervene with optimised control methods only when required.
This programme was introduced in 2007 into the Central Otago and Hawke's
Bay regions, then into the Nelson region in 2009. By the 2008-2009 season 65 % of
apples produced were under the “Apple Futures” programme, meeting the require-
ments of over 65 countries and being residue-free or with average residues below
10 % of European Union (EU regulatory tolerances (noting that all other producers
were producing fruit that was well within the EU standards).
Analysis by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) has
shown that the “Apple Futures” programme, developed by The Plant and Food
Research Institute of New Zealand Ltd in conjunction with Pipfruit New Zealand,
preserved up to $NZ 113 million of the pipfruit industry's revenue over the four
years from 2008 to 2011 through achieving access to critical export markets for this
industry. It was estimated that, in each year of the programme, industry net income
