After nearly a century of struggle by New Zealand orchardists to win Australian acceptance for their fruit, "science has prevailed, at last," says the chief executive of Pipfruit New Zealand, Peter Beavan.
After nearly a century of struggle by New Zealand orchardists to win Australian acceptance for their fruit, "science has prevailed, at last," says the chief executive of Pipfruit New Zealand, Peter Beavan.
Biosecurity Australia (BA), which develops quarantine policy, yesterday approved looming imports of New Zealand apples, saying there was no need for additional quarantine measures.
It said that New Zealand's own export standards are enough to protect Australia from pests endemic on this side of the Tasman, such as fireblight and apple leaf curling midge, which are rife in NZ.
Access to the Australian market is estimated to be worth $30m to New Zealand growers.
The report is now open for consultation with fruitgrowers and stakeholders, who have 60 days to make submissions.
"We'll make a submission, as will the Australian industry, I imagine," Mr Beavan said in Hastings. "But the history of these things is that generally speaking we don't see much of change between the draft and the final version.
"We know that Biosecurity Australia are working to an agreed timeframe with the World Trade Organisation (WTO), so that we don't expect there to be a huge amount of extra delay".
Australia banned imports of New Zealand pipfruit or trees for over 90 years, and in recent decades, growers used allegations that New Zealand apples could spread fireblight as a non-tariff trade barrier, but failed to substantiate their case at WTO hearings.
New Zealand scientists produced evidence that fireblight bacteria are not transferred on clean, ripe fruit and argued that mature symptomless fruit posed no risk of infection.
A WTO panel found 16 scientific inconsistencies in quarantine measures sought by Australia, and the trade body ruled in November that Australia should remove import restrictions on Kiwi apples.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard later said her Government "accepts the verdict of the global umpire and will implement the World Trade Organisation rulings on the importation of New Zealand apples".
But the Australian apple growers complained today that it was disgraceful to see regulators on their side of the Tasman scrapping several strict standards such as orchard registration and inspections, while adding no new ones.
"We've got pest and disease management standards, but basically Australia is letting New Zealand set it," Apple and Pear Australia chairman Darral Ashton told AAP.
