The Australian state of Tasmania is attempting to maintain import restrictions on New Zealand apples.
The move comes despite the fact that regulator Biosecurity Australia yesterday (18 August) gave the green light to the importation of New Zealand apples into Australia.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Last year, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) found Australia’s biosecurity and quarantine standards stopping New Zealand apples exported to Australia to be in breach of WTO rules.
The Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings said: “The Tasmanian Government has had a strong record on pushing a very hard case with the Commonwealth around protecting the biosecurity measures here in Tasmania.
“We don’t have fire blight here in Tasmania. Our disease-free status has been very important in terms of the Tasmanian brand and in terms of giving confidence to our international markets and customers in places like Japan. It is absolutely critical that we protect our borders from the invasion of any pests or diseases that could undermine our reputation.
“We will be exploring all of our powers to protect the biosecurity of Tasmania. We have a very strong border protection system here in terms of biosecurity, helped by our island status. We believe it’s worth protecting, not just for Tasmania’s sake, but for Australia’s sake.”
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataAustralian food law expert Joe Lederman of the FoodLegal firm believes the proposed ban could create a Constitutional Law test case for the High Court of Australia if the Tasmanian government persists with its ban.
Lederman said: “There are Constitutional Law difficulties for a state to maintain a ban if it contravenes WTO treaty obligations to which the Australian government is a signatory.
Meanwhile, in a fightback against the apple import trade, Australian growers are mounting a strong marketing campaign for locally grown apples with an Aussie Apples sticker. The aim of the campaign is to make it easier for consumers to identify and buy Australian-grown apples in supermarkets or greengrocers.
The Aussie Apples sticker system is being implemented with funding from Horticulture Australia Limited, the national horticultural research development and marketing organisation, on behalf of the apple growers.
