Citrus Australia chief executive officer Judith Damiani has welcomed moves to improve the reform package for AQIS export certification.
In a statement, Ms Damiani said that the implementation of reforms and quantification of savings and efficiencies before the rebate is removed made commercial sense, a point strongly made by Citrus Australia in its submission to the Senate inquiry in September.
'However, we are still seeking special consideration for citrus exporters and growers who have paid the significantly higher AQIS fees during peak export season in July to September,' she added. 'We estimate the industry has overpaid AQIS approximately half a million dollars.'
Ms Damiani noted that it was wrong for the citrus industry to be penalised for its export effort - particularly due to tough economic conditions, increased competition, low water allocations and the high exchange rate.
