T&G's kiwifruit claim falls short
Produce distributor Turners & Growers' latest attempt to break up the New Zealand kiwifruit industry's marketing structure has foundered in the Auckland High Court.
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Produce distributor Turners & Growers' latest attempt to break up the New Zealand kiwifruit industry's marketing structure has foundered in the Auckland High Court.
T&G had taken five claims against Zespri, which manages the structure, in a court case in May. These were thrown out in a judgment released today.
Zespri general manager of grower and government relations, Simon Limmer, said since T&G began its deregulation campaign it had tried litigation, political pressure, secret talks with foreign governments and threats to disrupt market access for New Zealand kiwifruit growers offshore.
He said defending the litigation had cost kiwifruit growers millions of dollars.
“As we said from the outset, T&G’s litigation was always entirely without merit and is nothing but a publicity stunt in the context of their broader campaign to deregulate the industry," he said.
From Zespri's perspective the continued campaign to deregulate the industry was cynical and a waste of growers’ money, Mr Limmer said, at a time when the industry was under tremendous pressure from an outbreak of Psa V, a bacterial disease that has infected kiwifruit vines throughout Bay of Plenty.
Colin Williscroft
Mon, 15 Aug 2011
Mon, 15 Aug 2011
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T&G's kiwifruit claim falls short
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