New York is the second-largest producer state in the US, with a five-year average before this season of 588,202 tonnes of apple production, which translates to around 30 million bushel boxes annually. Our state has more than 700 commercial companies growing on 52,000 acres of orchards and the industry is characterised by the multi-generational nature of its family-owned growers and shippers.

Around 55 per cent of our crop is sold to the fresh market and 45 per cent processed in a ‘normal’ season. Of the fresh sales, we generally export five to six per cent, but the export focus has sharpened in recent years and we’d like to increase that to around 10 per cent to accommodate increased production. This trend has filtered its way down to the orchards, where there has been a significant shift in the varieties being planted.

Empire is one of the main examples of that. Production is on the rise across the state. Over the years, Empire has built a huge following in Europe and the latest orchard survey in New York State – released in December – shows that New York growers have increased the tree count of Empire by more than 13 per cent between 2006 and 2012.

There is consequently a lot of very young fruit in the ground in New York and we will see some great, high-quality fruit in the future. New plantings have been necessarily combined with a phenomenal level of investment in infrastructure, with a number of new packing and cold storage facilities constructed in the last five years, all with a view to expanding the global market, as well as better serving the domestic customers who are obviously our growers’ bread and butter.

The fact remains that Europe, and the UK in particular, is right at the heart of our plans. This year is an anomaly – we’ve had 60 per cent less fruit and that has virtually wiped out our exports. Our relationships are strong enough to handle this. New York shippers let their European customers know very early what the situation was this year and, while they might not have liked it, the customers understood the situation and are already looking forward to next season. It causes some nerves that our Empire will be absent from the shelves for a year, but it is a very resilient variety and has a dedicated following in the trade and with consumers alike. After Christmas, it is unique, providing highly consistent performance on shelf with a size, colour and flavour profile that is very suited to the European consumer.

Throughout the state, there is a tremendous bud formation for the year. The trees were obviously not worked as hard this season and we could have a very big crop, if everything goes our way between now and then. The two main issues we face are the weather and the extraneous conditions that may be placed upon our shippers by European bureaucrats.

Only two years ago, we took the stance of the EU authorities on morpholine on the chin and dealt with it quickly. That is not even on the radar any more. For our shippers though, DPA is all or nothing. If the EU Standing Committee decides in February to set the MRL at a realistic level of detection, which accounts for cross contamination, then our customers know that New York shippers will do everything in their power to address the situation and ship within a realistic plan. However, if they set the MRL at the level currently being discussed, then our shippers will have no choice but to walk away from the market.

In some respects, we have nothing to lose. We very much want to continue our relationship with Europe, but our shippers would survive without it. However, we are not the only industry affected. Any industry in the world that has not operated in a DPA-free environment for the last few years would find it very difficult to meet the new requirements.

At this point, our growers are not too aware of what’s happening in Europe, as there is little point making a big deal of something until all the facts are on the table. But if Europe was removed from the equation, they would definitely move away from Empire to a degree. It is a popular apple and also has good processing demand, but it is a much stronger proposition for growers if the European market is open. If they have to look to other markets, there will be of course implications for marketing and production plans, and once you take trees out and replace them with different varieties, that is a long-term decision. It would be very difficult to go back in two or three years and reverse things if the EU market changed its mind.

DPA is used and accepted in every other market in the world and has been for decades. Speaking for New York, I know it is also used more responsibly and in lower quantities than ever. There is also no evidence of DPA having caused any safety issues, but the EU is still considering this approach. At this point, we remain optimistic that the EU Standing Committee will consider all of the evidence put before it and reach a decision in February that safeguards not only consumers, but also the apple industry in the EU and around the world.

OPINION: WHAT THE SHIPPERS SAY

Kaari Stannard,

New York Apple Sales: “We have no issue with the European market at all. Mother Nature has been so unkind that we just don’t have the fruit to ship this year. But our plan is to put this year behind us and come back full steam ahead next season. Empire remains one of our biggest crops in New York and we both want and need to be in the export market. There will be no turning away.”

Steve Riessen,

Sun Orchard Fruit Company: “The Western New York fresh crop is less than half of last year and the most difficult since 1945. High-quality fresh apples are in strong demand and making excellent money in the domestic market. As a result, we will probably not be exporting many apples this season. The UK market has always been the centrepiece of our export programme. If the bureaucrats can get the technical issues ironed out, it will continue to be for many years to come.”

Ward Dobbins,

United Apple Sales: “Most growers who have fruit are going to have a good season, due to the higher domestic market prices and the insurance on blocks that produced no fruit. It has been very difficult on the packing side of things though, as it is a low-margin deal that very much depends on volume. However, we’re conditioned to take a bad year if we have to and we’ll be bouncing back next season.”