Zespri has announced it secured an insurance settlement with its marine cargo insurers regarding the shipment with mice on the Crown Garnet in April 2024.

The $24.1 million settlement allows Zespri to capture the marine cargo proceeds in the 2024 SunGold Kiwifruit pool. After allowing for costs, this will return to the New Zealand marketer a substantial proportion of the losses attributed to the incident to SunGold kiwifruit growers at a value of 17-18 cents per tray, which will be reflected in the next forecast in February, the company reported.

Jason Te Brake, CEO of Zespri, said the settlement has been a positive outcome for the industry, “We take fruit quality incredibly seriously, and our decision to remove fruit from the affected vessel reflects our ongoing commitment to food safety and protecting our brand.”

Related article: Zespri to destroy over a million kiwifruit trays following mice incident

The executive said they are very pleased to have obtained a positive outcome for the industry and thanked the Zespri team for their instrumental role in obtaining this result.

Zespri continues to work on the progress of its product contamination insurance claim concerning the amounts not covered by marine cargo insurance.

It should be recalled that Zespri's European campaign was delayed after mice were found among the 1.2 million trays of SunGold kiwifruit that arrived in Zeebrugge, Belgium.