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Apple & Pear Season: Transporting Fresh Produce From France to Ireland

As the apple and pear season gets underway in France, activity across the fresh produce supply chain increases. For growers, exporters, importers, and wholesalers, one of the practical challenges is finding a transport partner that can move their produce reliably and efficiently once it is ready for collection.

Apples and pears form an important part of the seasonal movement of fresh fruit from mainland Europe into Ireland. With harvesting taking place across different regions and volumes changing throughout the season, transport needs to be organised around collection requirements, delivery schedules, and the conditions required for the product.

France is an established source of fresh produce for the Irish market, with apples and pears among the products transported between the two countries. The wider French supply chain also connects with major distribution locations such as the Rungis International Market near Paris, where fresh produce from France and other European origins is traded and distributed.

At HANNON Transport, our role is focused on the transport itself. We move temperature-sensitive fresh produce between mainland Europe and Ireland, using suitable equipment, experienced people, and established operational processes to get produce from its collection point to its destination.

The Challenge of Apple & Pear Transport

Apple and pear transport requires careful planning around the characteristics of the product and the requirements of each consignment.

While apples and pears can generally withstand longer journeys than some highly perishable produce, temperature, handling, and transit times still need to be properly managed to help maintain quality.

Key considerations when transporting apples and pears include:

• Maintaining the required temperature during transit
• Appropriate handling during loading and unloading
• Protecting fruit from unnecessary damage
• Coordinating collections around harvest and packing schedules
• Meeting agreed delivery windows
• Managing changing seasonal volumes

For businesses involved in the France–Ireland fresh produce trade, having reliable transport in place is an important part of keeping product moving when it is ready to leave the supplier.

Protecting Quality Through Temperature-Controlled Transport

The transport conditions required for apples and pears will depend on the product, packaging, preparation, and customer requirements.

At HANNON Transport, temperature-controlled equipment is used for appropriate fresh produce movements, supported by internal monitoring systems and established operational processes.

Our approach includes:

• Temperature-controlled transport for fresh produce
• Internal temperature monitoring systems
• Refrigerated equipment
• Controlled loading and handling procedures
• Transport planning around collection and delivery requirements
• Appropriate trailer configuration for the consignment

These processes are designed to maintain the required transport conditions while allowing our operational teams to manage the movement effectively from collection through to delivery.

For businesses moving fresh fruit and vegetables, reliable transport is about more than simply providing refrigerated capacity. The collection, equipment, route, handling, and delivery all need to work together.

France, Rungis and the Wider European Supply Chain

France plays an important role in the movement of fresh produce into Ireland, while locations such as Rungis provide an important connection between suppliers, wholesalers, and wider European markets.

HANNON established its Rungis operation in 2020, providing a base from which fresh produce can be handled and transported between France and Ireland.

For businesses sourcing through Rungis or other locations across France, the transport requirement remains the same: produce needs to be collected, transported under the required conditions, and delivered efficiently to its destination in Ireland.

This can include apples and pears during the autumn season, alongside the many other fresh produce categories moving through the French and wider European supply chain throughout the year.

Supporting Customers Through Flexible Transport Solutions

The autumn harvest period can bring increased activity for businesses involved in the apple and pear trade.

Volumes can change throughout the season, collection requirements can vary between suppliers, and importers need their transport arrangements to work alongside their purchasing and distribution schedules.

HANNON supports these requirements through:

• Groupage (LTL) and full load (FTL) options
• Temperature-controlled transport
• Internal temperature monitoring
• Fresh produce collection and delivery
• Experienced transport planning
• Cross-docking and consolidation where required
• European road transport

The focus is on providing a reliable transport movement around the requirements of each consignment, from the point of collection in France through to delivery in Ireland.

Talk to HANNON About France–Ireland Apple & Pear Transport

If you are looking for a transport partner to support your apple and pear imports from France, HANNON can help with reliable European road transport and temperature-controlled fresh produce movements.

Talk to us about your collection points, delivery requirements, and the transport solution required for your consignments.

What HANNON Transport Delivers

HANNON Transport provides temperature-controlled transport for fresh fruit and vegetables (FFV) between Ireland and Europe.

We operate groupage (LTL) and full load (FTL) services between France and Ireland, as well as other key European lanes including the Netherlands and Belgium.

Our services support food and fresh produce importers, wholesalers, and distributors who require reliable transport between Europe and Ireland, with flexible collection options, temperature-controlled equipment, and the operational processes required to move produce efficiently from origin to destination.

Transport & Handling

Route:
FR–IE, including movements from Rungis to Ireland

Products:
Apples, pears, fresh fruit, berries, vegetables, salads, herbs, stone fruit, and other FFV.

HS Codes:

• 08081000 – Apples, fresh
• 08083000 – Pears, fresh

Handling Conditions:
Temperature-controlled transport according to the requirements of the product and customer.

Service Capabilities:

Groupage (LTL), Full Load (FTL), temperature-controlled transport, refrigerated equipment, internal temperature monitoring, cross-docking, consolidation, customs clearance, and European road transport.