Turners & Growers has opened its case against kiwifruit marketer ZESPRI with a bang, as the feud between the two reaches the High Court in Auckland.

Turners is arguing ZESPRI’s total control over kiwifruit exports outside Australasia is anti-competitive.

Its lawyer Campbell Walker claimed in court that this gives ZESPRI a monopsony – meaning it is the sole buyer which many kiwifruit producers have no choice but to sell to.

The four-day hearing started on Tuesday, and will flow through to a wider six-week court case scheduled for May next year.