Australian apple growers have expressed concerns with the final Import Risk Analysis (IRA) for Chinese apples, which was released on Tuesday.
Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) biosecurity spokesperson John Corboy believes Biosecurity Australia (BA) have not fully assessed the risks in accepting apples from China.
'The IRA places too much responsibility on China to determine risks to Australia,' Mr Corboy told the Weekly Times.
'With three diseases in particular, oriental fruit moth, apple brown rot and European canker, the IRA does not specify which provinces have an unacceptable risk, but rather recommends that China is responsible for advising Biosecurity Australia before an appropriate protocol is established.
'Australian apple and pear growers believe it is Biosecurity Australia's responsibility to determine the level of risk for each pest and disease, not the exporting countries.
'In the case of China, the diverse apple growing regions have all been treated the same and BA says that it will look at regional risks if an area wants to export apples to Australia. Only after that will it determine what protocols need to beapplied,' he said.
Mr Corboy said authorities had ignored the concerns of Australian apple growers.
'During the China IRA process, the Australian apple and pear industry has on many occasions communicated its concerns regarding the pest and disease risks of the different regions in China. Clearly our concerns have been disregarded inthis final risk analysis,' he said.
APAL chairman Darral Ashton said the IRA process had not been completed, and added his organisation would seek a meeting with Australian Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tony Burke, before deciding what action to take.
'It is unacceptable for Australian apple growers and the general public that BA has released the final IRA when the levels of risk of importing Chinese apples from all regions have not been determined.
'The industry is presently seeking advice on whether these omissions breach IRA guidelines before we decide how we will officially respond,' Mr Ashton said.
