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NZ apple import request rejected
An application by New Zealand to export apples to Australia has been formally rejected by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), which has just completed a risk analysis of the potential for the proposed trade to introduce exotic pests and diseases into Australia.
AQIS’s report and decision on the application, which are being released in Canberra today, note that the major quarantine risk from New Zealand apples is that they could carry fire blight, a bacterial disease that is not present in Australia but is in New Zealand.
New Zealand’s proposal, received in 1995, was based on the contention that mature fruit are not a vector for fire blight. AQIS had conducted a rigorous pest risk analysis based on reviews of the scientific literature, submissions from interested parties and State specialists, and research work carried out by New Zealand.
In summary, the major findings of the risk analysis are that:
- the impact of fire blight in Australia is likely to be very high;
- apples sourced in the manner New Zealand proposed could carry fire blight bacteria;
- New Zealand’s claim that apples cannot act as a vector for fire blight is not supported by the scientific literature and other information; and
- the New Zealand proposal does not provide the level of protection Australia requires for other high risk products.
Media contact:
For more details
Contact: Dr Brian Stynes, AQIS
Phone: (02) 6272 4042 mobile 0409 392 478