Apple and Pear Australia Limited - APAL

APAL has announced the successful recipients of the 2026 APAL Awards for Excellence, recognising outstanding leadership, innovation and service across the Australian apple and pear industry.

This year, eight individuals and businesses have been recognised across seven award categories for their exceptional contributions to the growth and success of the sector.

2026 APAL Awards for Excellence recipients:

Lifetime Achievement Award
• Rosie Savio – P Savio & Co Pty Ltd (QLD)
• Stephen Tancred – Orchard Services (QLD)

Grower of the Year
• Paul Priest – Priest Bros Orchards (VIC)

Industry Rising Star
• Damien Silm – Cedar Creek Orchard (NSW)

Women in Horticulture Award
• Nardia Stacy – Pomewest (WA)

Research & Extension Provider of the Year
• Alessio Scalisi – Agriculture Victoria (VIC)

Agritourism Award
• Nightingale Bros (VIC)

Orchard Operations Excellence Award
• Lauren Fankhauser – Fankhauser Apples (VIC)

Please join us in celebrating this year's recipients and thanking them for their invaluable contribution to our industry.

We look forward to celebrating your achievements with colleagues, family and friends at the APAL Awards for Excellence and Industry Forum event in Melbourne in July.

Read more: https://apal.org.au/apal-announces-2026-awards-for-excellence-honouring-apple-and-pear-industry-leaders/

Today, the Australian table grape industry celebrates over $600 million in exports and enjoys higher prices domestically, all thanks to cracking the ‘China code’.

However, Jeff Scott, CEO of the Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA), reveals that this success nearly came to a halt in the first season of trade when growers made a mistake that shut the door – for a short, distressing time – on the China market.

Read more: https://apal.org.au/exporting-to-china-how-australian-table-grapes-cracked-the-code-and-almost-lost-it-all/

Australian Table Grape Association

Late-season management is a relatively short window in the apple orchard management calendar, but has a huge impact in setting up the orchard for the next season.
Each season is different, so each season’s results will be different.

When considering the block scorecard concept from the 2025 round of Future Orchards® walks, late season – just prior to harvest and postharvest, but before leaf drop – is the best time to assess your trees to inform that block scorecard with information specific to the 2026 season. You only get one chance to document it. Don’t rely on your memory later. Do it now while the fruit is there, while the leaves are on the trees, while all the 2026 results are on full display. This is when the tree reveals the fruits of your labour.

Read more: https://apal.org.au/capturing-the-2026-season-results/

AgFirst NZ

Australian apple and pear growers are set to benefit from two new Hort Innovation-funded projects delivered by APAL.

The two-year Apple and pear orchard benchmarking (AP25002) project will support profitability, efficiency and sustainability, building on more than 15 years of Orchard Business Analysis data.

The Building capability program for emerging leaders (AP25001) will strengthen technical and leadership skills across the industry, expanding on the success of APAL’s Short Course in Fruit Production and Leadership Course programs.

This year’s Short Course will be held in the Goulburn Valley from 10–16 June, it's not too late to register!

Read more: https://apal.org.au/funding-for-benchmarking-and-building-capability/

Planning to export apples or pears in 2027?

Export registrations for protocol markets – Thailand, China and Canada (mainland Australia and Tasmania); Japan (Tasmania only) and Taiwan (Tasmania only) – open on Monday 1 June.

To support growers, APAL has developed a clear, step-by-step infographic timeline highlighting key dates and requirements.

Download the 2027 Export Season Timeline to ensure you're on track and export-ready via the link below.

https://apal.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/APAL-2027-Export-Timeline-May2026-final.pdf

How did apples perform against other produce in the fresh fruit category last year?

Did some apple varieties perform better than others?

And do consumers at different life stages buy more or fewer apples?

In the 2025 calendar year apples saw average retail prices lift by over 13 per cent compared to 2024, reaching an average of $4.56/kg – the highest level recorded in our data to date.

Read more: https://apal.org.au/apples-in-2025-a-year-of-value-in-a-tighter-crop

This year’s Forum has a clear objective: to equip Australia’s apple and pear growers with the confidence, commercial awareness and practical tools needed to make informed decisions in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

In a year when commercial pressure continues to test Australia’s apple and pear growers, the 2026 APAL Industry Forum will focus squarely on what matters most: retailer reality, supplier protections and practical technology adoption.

A headline session will see Neil Rechlin, Director of NextGen Group, deliver a frank assessment of where things truly stand with retailers.

Read more: https://apal.org.au/retail-reality-the-code-and-practical-ai-to-lead-2026-apal-industry-forum/

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/apal-industry-forum-and-awards-for-excellence-2026-tickets-1980345805614

The most flexibility for storability can be achieved when fruit is harvested at the optimal maturity.

Postharvest, the way to maintain that quality is through careful management of the fruit temperature.

Read more: https://apal.org.au/manipulating-the-storage-environment-to-extend-postharvest-storage-of-apples/

Orchard businesses and packhouses that use labour hire contractors to source workers have an important role to help maintain healthy and safe conditions for their workers.

Treating them well is not only the right thing to do but can help secure a return workforce that is trained and efficient, boosting productivity.

Victoria’s Labour Hire Authority is working together with growers to ensure that orchard and packhouse workers are protected from exploitation.

Read more: https://apal.org.au/protect-your-business-and-your-workers/

Phil Turnbull, APAL CEO, shared this update to industry in the Autumn 2026 edition of AFG.

Around this time last year, the Shepparton region experienced very high temperatures that had a material impact on overall Class 1 apple production in Australia.

Shepparton represents approximately 44 per cent of Australia’s orchards, so events in this region have a major impact on the entire sector.

It is interesting to look at how this played out across the market over the year.

Read more:

Key lessons for the upcoming season This point in the season always provides a good opportunity to reflect on the previous year and consider...