Sign It Mr Howard

31 July 2007

From Pipfruit New Zealand Incorporated

Sign It Mr Howard

The eighty six year battle for the NZ apple industry to gain access to the Australian Market reached a new low today when Pipfruit industry leaders lit a cake with twenty three candles, one for each year it has taken so far to get a final decision from the Australian Government on an application for access originally filed in 1986.

Pipfruit industry Chief Executive Peter Beaven urged Australian Prime Minister John Howard to honour his obligation and sign the management plan for access to New Zealand apples.

"Every Australian Minister from John Howard down has made a commitment to our NZ Ministers that once due process was complete they would sign the Standard Operating Procedures to let trade proceed. Now they have reneged because they are too scared to sign with Australian elections just round the corner."

New Zealand industry and officials have in good faith carried out all of their obligations under international law to enable limited trade in apples between the countries. "Now we find that the 1200 hundred apple growers in Australia are holding their politicians and public to ransom," Beaven said.

"The Australian public should feel sick at the damage this is doing to their country's international reputation," Mr Beaven stated.

The long running dispute for access to the Australian apple market has been waging between the two countries since 1921. At the centre of the dispute is the bacterial disease fireblight. Despite three recent World Trade Organisation (WTO) decisions which have determined that mature apples are not a risk for transfer of the disease, Australian officials claim they are entitled to ignore these decisions and set their own protocols.

The latest round of applications was commenced in 1986. Although the Import Risk Analysis document has been completed, the Australian Government has been sitting on the implementation plan (SOP) developed by NZ officials for six weeks looking for excuses to avoid signing it. Once signed, orchard inspections can commence, and New Zealand apples could enter Australia next year.

"Even these protocols, which are ridiculously conservative, are now being reneged," Mr Beaven said. "This is the last straw. If the Australian Government won't sign this week, we will urge our Government to commence WTO action forthwith."

ENDS

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