Apple Working Group

Chair: Joe Sardinha, BC

The Apple Working Group is comprised of eleven designates from among the larger membership of the Apple and Fruit Committee, who represent producers, packers and shippers of Canadian apples, as well as a federal government representative from the Market and Industry Services Branch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The Working Group was formed to address the particular and pressing challenges threatening the survival of the Canadian apple industry.

Currently the following provinces are represented:

• British Columbia
• Ontario
• Québec
• New Brunswick
• Nova Scotia
• AAFC, CFIA and other government representatives participate as support/resources as needed

The Chair and Members of the Apple Working Group are appointed yearly at the Annual General Meeting in March. To contact the Chair, call the National Office at: (613) 226-4880 or send an email.

Regular meetings of the Apple Working Group are scheduled in March during the AGM, The Mid-Summer Apple Meeting and the Post-Harvest Meeting. Other meetings are held throughout the year on an as-needed basis, usually by teleconference.

Issues

The following issues, among others, have occupied the Apple Working Group this year:

• Integrated Fruit Production (IFP)
  • IFP Guidelines for Apple Orchards in Canada
  • IFP Brochure
  • IFP Poster
• Markets and Trade
• Minor Use Product Registrations
• Food Safety
• Research Priorities
  • Canadian Apple Industry Research and Development Strategy (report)
  • A Recipe for Healthand Prosperity: A National Research and Development Strategy for Canada’s Apple Industry (brochure)
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Industry Renewal: National Replant Strategy for Tree Fruits and Grapes
  • Executive Summary
  • Full Report