New Zealand apple growers descended on their national parliament on Wednesday carrying placards bearing the message No More Forbidden Fruit : Let Our Apples in Aussie. They arrived on tractors, by steam train and coach complaining that despite a World Trade Organisation ruling that mature apples pose no risk of fire blight to Australia’s orchards, Australia maintains a decades old ban on top fruit from across the Tasman.

Angry demonstrators also turned their anger on Wellington’s Australian High Commission in protest at the 85-year-old ban. Some 500 growers took part in the noisy march and some threw their fruit at the Australian flag before rolling it under the fence after police ordered them to stop. The growers claimed it was the first time in 85 years that their fruit had touched Aussie soil.

Good-natured growers chanted “open up the gate, mate” as they handed their fruit out to passersby and told reporters that Aussie consumers were missing out, having only “tasteless” Australian apples to eat instead of New Zealand supplies.

Meanwhile, Australian agriculture minister Warren Truss has said he hopes the two countries can come to an agreement at the WTO committee meeting next week.