The Fruit Growers News

Canada is developing national standards that may help Canadian-grown apples take a bigger bite out of the marketplace.

That is the aim of a new project that received financial backing from the government of Canada in March.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lyle Vanclief told members of the Canadian Horticultural Council at their annual meeting in Kelowna that the federal government will contribute $151,500 towards the development of national Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) standards and protocols.

The idea is not new. Europe has been doing it for years and today they are expanding the protocols to other crops. Even in the United States, universities in the Northwest and Northeast have developed IPM guidelines that would lend themselves to such a system. But what benefits will the growers see? Can they expect premium pricing?

Dr. Thomas Green, president of the IPM Institute of North America, Inc., with offices in Madison, Wis. thinks the IFP protocols can foster communication between producers and end customers.

“It is a way to establish a credible direct dialog with the consumer about their practices,” said Green. “As growers increasingly become squeezed by input suppliers on one end and wholesale buyers on the other end, they need to work on getting their message directly to consumers and building support there.

“Many growers are already applying IPM to a high degree,” he said. “While there is potential for long term improvement in programs like this, what really needs improvement is consumer understanding. The benefit of having a certification program like this is that it has a consumer benefit.”

In Canada, the funding is being allocated from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development (CARD) Fund, with the balance of the $301,500 project funded by industry and the World Wildlife Fund. “This measure will increase the competitiveness of Canadian-produced apples,” Vanclief said.

“By using enhanced national Integrated Fruit Production techniques, Canada’s 2,500 commercial apple farmers will be a model for other fruit sectors. The result will be more Canadians eating Canadian fruit, and more competitive Canadian fruit in world markets.”

The IFP initiative will set out voluntary guidelines and standards for soil management, irrigation, IPM practices, harvesting, grower education and environmental farm practices.

Rob Smith is an Ag Canada researcher who has been refining IFP protocols for the province of Nova Scotia since before 1996. There, the IFP program has delivered savings for the growers involved.

“We’ve seen reduced pest damage and 2.5% less crop loss, while using fewer organophosphates, said Smith. “Growers have seen at least a 25% reduction in their spray bills. But, we don’t know yet that we are going to get a price premium.”

The savings alone are impressive. The protocols in Nova Scotia have allowed growers to reduce inputs. According to Smith, growers in British Colombia using their regional version of an IFP have met and exceeded the intake standards currently used in Europe.

Using IFP, the growers concentrate on stewardship standards that include not using full rate pyrethroids (the highest rate is 10% of full rate), and limited use of Guthion, and trying to get along without organophosphates.

“We work to mesh the horticultural side of things with the pest management side of things,” said Smith. Their practices rely on the dynamic of pests, properly pruned trees, site preparation and more. “It’s not good to have just a good spray program, if the rest falls apart,” he said.

The national IFP standards will be customized for each of Canada’s apple-growing regions: British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes, and will include lists, specific to each province, of prohibited, restricted and unrestricted pesticides. Also included in the program is the development of “scorecards” for the implementation of the guidelines, as well as a voluntary monitoring and auditing program.

“Our goal is for Canada is to be the world leader in food safety, innovation and environmentally-responsible production,” Vanclief said. “IFP directly supports the new national policy direction in agriculture, known as the Agricultural Policy Framework, that is being developed by federal, provincial and territorial governments in close cooperation with industry.”

The target is always moving for apple growers, and best practices do evolve. As Smith says, “We’ve been growing apples in Nova Scotia since the 1600s and we’ve still got a lot to learn.”

The researchers are always looking for new ways to fine-tune the operation. Currently they are looking into incorporating scab-free varieties, a move that could potentially save thousands of dollars off of spray bills.

In the province of Nova Scotia, growers in Smith’s research rely on a 100-page IFP manual that gives specifics of site selection, varieties and the best management practices. Smith said the manual is always changing to meet best practices.

What is the outlook for grower adoption of IFP protocols?

“I think once other growers see what a difference the protocols make, they will be more willing to adopt them,” said Smith. “Some are risk takers, and they want to do it right away. Others will wait and take a chance when they see a new process that make sense to them. Or maybe they’ll try one block to see where there are strengths and weaknesses.”

For a preview of what Canada’s program and protocols may look like, Green suggested visiting European program for pome, stone and soft fruits and other crops at www.sar.admin.ch/scripts/get.pl?faw+portrait/iobc.html+0+60. For links to a number of other IPM-based certification/eco-label programs for fruits and vegetables visit www.ipminstitute.org/links.htm.