Californian grape growers dismiss disease fears
The Californian table grape industry has dismissed local fears of imported disease on their fruit, following recent federal approval to allow their product into Western Australia for the first time.
The WA Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) amended its import conditions for fresh Californian table grapes in late July, in response to a change in Commonwealth import conditions.
The move prompted a furious reaction from the local table grape industry, who argued that the imports would see the damaging fungal disease Phomopsis viticola enter the state.
President of the California Table Grape Commission, Kathleen Nave, maintains that their fruit poses no threat to the local industry.
"I am absolutely confident that there is no risk of Phomopsis [viticola] coming into Western Australia or any other market in the world on fresh-picked table grapes," said Ms Nave.
"Australia has the toughest protocol for shipping of anywhere in the world. It's the hardest market into which we ship out of California. The Australian scientists, your Agricultural Department, your quarantine people, honestly, there are no tougher people in the world. You have a lot of first-rate scientists; they do not make it easy."
Exports represent 40 per cent of California's table grape industry, with Canada, China, Mexico and Indonesia among its key markets. Californian table grapes have also been permitted into the rest of Australia for over a decade, yet Ms Nave says Western Australia was still a prized and highly sought-after market.
"We have been so anxious to ship grapes to Western Australia. We have been working on it, probably since 2002," she says.
"We are thrilled to death; it is a very big deal. Believe me, there was a lot of happiness at being able to send grapes from here to consumers in Western Australia."
After years of work to gain acceptance into the market, Ms Nave says consumers are likely to see their product for many years to come.
"We definitely see the entry into Western Australia in 2013 as the first season of many. Once we gain access to a market and begin to establish relationships with importers wholesalers, retailers and most importantly, consumers in the market, we will be there season after season after season."
"If you want McDonalds to carry anything with grapes in it, or any other restaurant, they want to have access to year-round availability."
- President of the California Table Grape Commission, Kathleen Nave
While she accepts that not all local table grape growers will welcome imports from California, she argues that the move represents an opportunity, rather than a threat, for the industry.
"This will, in the end, I believe be a good thing for the table grape growers in Western Australia, but it's not always easy to adjust to having others in your market," Ms Nave said.
"When [California] first started being on the receiving end of imports, there were a lot of growers who were not happy about that. This was in the late 1980s when we first started getting imports. But the truth of the matter is that it is beneficial for retailers and consumers to have a year-round supply of grapes."
She says the ability to consistently offer table grapes to all sections of the market as a result of imports has held significant benefits for the Californian industry.
"It is one of the things that allowed the Californian industry to grow. Not only does it mean consumers become accustomed to it year-round, but it also means retailers no longer think of it as a speciality product, and there is always retail space for table grapes," she said.
"It is definitely a benefit for food service, for restaurants. If you want McDonalds to carry anything with grapes in it, or any other restaurant, they want to have access to year-round availability - at least the big chains do. So it's a benefit from that standpoint too."
Source: ABC News, 14 August 2013
