Difficulties finding apple disease experts for a World Trade Organisation panel has delayed New Zealand’s case for access to Australia.
The expert shortage has delayed New Zealand’s drive to export apples to Australia, which blocked them in 1921, by several months.
Access has long been refused on the basis of fire blight disease risks, but the New Zealand case is seeking to duplicated an earlier WTO ruling between the US and Japan that found fire blight could not be transmitted by mature apples.
The difficulty finding experts stems from the number ruled out by political considerations, the chairman of the Australian National Fire Blight Taskforce John Corboy told the ABC.
“You can’t have an expert from New Zealand because of the obvious conflict, you have an issue if you get one out of the US because the US has a program directly behind the New Zealanders, so really it needs to come out of Europe, South Africa or South America,” he said.
“South Africa and South America don’t have fire blight. Europe does, but it’s a matter of getting the appropriate people.”
New Zealand’s apple exporters are stoical in the face of further delays, reported the Nelson Mail. “I’d rather they delay it and got the right people and came to the right decision,” said Pipfruit New Zealand chairman Ian Palmer, adding he did not expect a decision until early next year.
The Australian market is seen as potentially a solid expansion to the New Zealand domestic market programme, and exporters have told Fruitnet they are cautiously optimistic at the opportunities it presents.
