Apple pressure call

APPLE and pear growers in the Yarra Valley are calling on McEwen MP Fran Bailey to apply political pressure to stop the importation of New Zealand apples into Australia.
The industry is awaiting a decision by the secretary of the Department of Agriculture in Canberra after a failed appeal by industry Group Apple and Pear Australia Ltd (APAL) over Biosecurity Australia’s recommendation to allow the apples in.
Growers say the risk of introducing fire blight disease from New Zealand into Australian orchards is unacceptable.
Gladysdale orchardist and APAL member Kevin Sanders dismissed claims by New Zealand growers last week that the stringent conditions laid down in the recommendations would make it too costly for them to export to Australia.
“If the determination goes through New Zealand apples will arrive in droves,” he said.
Mr Sanders said New Zealand’s cheaper wages would make exportation a very attractive option.
“The Federal Government has said it’s all about a level playing field, but they pay about $10 an hour for orchard staff over there – we can’t employ anyone for that,” he said.
“There is no doubt at all that this will cost Australia 5000 jobs.
“The silence from Fran Bailey is deafening,” he added.
“She has said in the past this is a terrible thing, but there has been nothing more.”
Allan Johns of Maroondah Orchards in Coldstream also has fears for the future of the industry.
“The risk of importing fire blight is our first concern and that risk is still there,” he said.
Mr Johns said he had no faith in the protocols set down to ensure no fire blight-infested fruit came through.
He said to adhere to the protocols would cost the New Zealand industry money.
“It doesn’t matter how stringent they are, they will try to weaken them and reduce costs,” he said.
Mr Johns also called on Ms Bailey to speak up for Yarra Valley orchardists.
Ms Bailey has defended her track record on the issue.
“I have met regularly with local fruit growers and visited packing sheds and orchards in taking up their cause against the import of New Zealand fruit and will continue to represent their concerns in Parliament,” she said.
“As local farmers will attest, I successfully spearheaded a fight against the import of Canadian salmon and the way we were able to achieve that was to fight scientific fact with scientific fact.”
Mr Sanders said growers were hoping commonsense would prevail, but they were not counting on it.
He said the industry has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting the fire blight threat.
“My feeling is we’ll end up in court,” Mr Sanders said. “We will have to talk to the Australian growers about that, but I would say it’s a very likely possibility.”