Kiwifruit marketer reaches NZ$24.1mn settlement recovering a substantial portion of losses
Zespri has announced a positive settlement with its marine cargo insurers regarding the Crown Garnet mice incident of April 2024.
More than one million trays of its New Zealand-grown fruit were destroyed after mice were found on the vessel that carried its first new-season consignment to Europe.
The NZ$24.1mn (€13.07mn) settlement allows Zespri to capture the marine cargo proceeds in the 2024 SunGold kiwifruit pool. According to Zespri, after allowing for costs, this will return a substantial proportion of the losses attributed to the incident to SunGold kiwifruit growers at a value of NZ$0.17-0.18 (€0.09) per tray, which will be reflected in the next forecast in February.
Zespri chief executive Jason Te Brake says the settlement was a positive outcome for the industry.
“We take fruit quality incredibly seriously and our decision to dispose of the fruit from the impacted vessel reflects our ongoing commitment to food safety and protecting our brand,” said Te Brake
“We’re very pleased to have secured a positive result for the industry from this process, and I’d like to thank the Zespri team for their instrumental role in securing this outcome.”
Zespri said it continues to progress its product contamination insurance claim, concerning amounts not covered by the marine cargo insurance.
