South Africa’s BigBucks Gala apple has secured an important international milestone after more than eight years of testing and evaluation, with the European Union now recognising the variety for Plant Variety Rights.
On 20 July 2026, the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) issued Decision No. 73170, declaring BigBucks Gala a qualifying variety for European Union Plant Variety Rights following extensive replicated trials across multiple sites and EU countries.
The decision strengthens the international protection of the South African-developed apple variety and marks a significant achievement for the country’s apple industry.
From one tree to an international variety
The story of BigBucks Gala began on 18 January 2011, when Buks Nel, Tru-Cape’s New Cultivar Expert, discovered a distinctive tree in an established Corder Gala block at Oak Valley Estate in Elgin.
The tree was a chance mutation, also known as a natural “sport”, that developed as a single tree within the commercial orchard.
South African Plant Breeders’ Rights were awarded to BigBucks Gala on 21 July 2011. Since then, plantings of the variety have expanded rapidly. By the end of winter 2025, more than 2.54 million BigBucks Gala trees had been planted in South Africa, excluding additional grafted trees.
This growth has made BigBucks Gala the fastest-growing apple variety in the history of the South African apple industry.
“BigBucks Gala is a remarkable South African apple story,” says Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen. “What started with the discovery of a single, naturally occurring mutation in an Elgin orchard has developed into one of the most significant variety successes in our industry.”
He said gaining European Plant Variety Rights after such an extensive evaluation process was a major achievement.
A distinctive and stable apple variety
To qualify for plant breeders’ rights, a variety must have characteristics that distinguish it from existing varieties.
BigBucks Gala has several distinctive features. Its blossoms are dark red, its fruit stem is red, and the fruitlets begin developing a red colour within the first month after flowering. A central red vein is also visible on the back of each leaf.
The variety has also demonstrated strong genetic and commercial stability. Many Gala varieties can revert to their original type, potentially creating challenges for growers and long-term commercial development.
BigBucks Gala, however, has shown strong stability, with no reported reversions to date.
“Stability is a particularly important characteristic when you are building a variety at scale,” says Rawbone-Viljoen. “The fact that BigBucks Gala has remained inherently stable, with no reported reversions, has been a major positive.”
Eight years of European testing
The road to European protection began in 2016, when a Testing and Option Agreement was signed with ABCz Nursery in Belgium. An application for European Plant Variety Rights was submitted to the CPVO on 14 October 2016.
The process proved more complex than initially expected.
In January 2018, the CPVO determined that several improved Gala varieties were considered “varieties of common knowledge”. It subsequently conducted replicated trials of competing Gala varieties to determine which one would qualify for European Plant Variety Rights.
The evaluation involved extensive testing at different locations across several European Union countries.
After more than eight years of trials, the CPVO’s decision on 20 July 2026 confirmed BigBucks Gala as the qualifying variety.
International recognition for South African agriculture
For South Africa’s apple industry, the decision represents more than the completion of a lengthy regulatory process. It provides international recognition for a variety that originated as a spontaneous mutation in a South African commercial orchard and has since achieved significant adoption among local growers.
“It has certainly been a long and costly journey, but this outcome makes the wait worthwhile,” says Rawbone-Viljoen.
“There is enormous satisfaction in seeing a variety that was discovered in an Elgin orchard being recognised in Europe after such a rigorous testing process.”
The granting of European Plant Variety Rights adds another chapter to the BigBucks Gala story — one that began with a single unusual tree and has developed into a South African apple variety with growing international recognition.
“BigBucks Gala is proudly South African, and we look forward to seeing what the next chapter holds for this variety,” Rawbone-Viljoen says.