Senator Fiona Nash, Nationals Senator for New South Wales and Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate has called on the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Hon Tony Burke MP, to support apple growers and ensure a proper process is undertaken to thoroughly assess the risk posed to the Australian industry by the Chinese fruit fly, Drosophila suzukii.
“I have written to the Minister to ask him to support the halting of the IRA process until a comprehensive scientific analysis of the risks posed by the pest can be undertaken, Senator Nash said.
“The Minister must act quickly. Australian industry and farmers are entitled to a fair and proper process.
“The apple industry is extremely concerned about the Import Risk Analysis process for the proposed importation of apples from China and rightly so. Sadly it appears the Rudd Government and his Minister are the only people who don’t see this as a matter of urgency.
“The industry believes that Biosecurity Australia has failed to adequately examine the potential risks and this in itself should be enough to set off alarm bells for Minister Burke.
“Australian apple and pear industries generate an annual turnover of $500 million and any increase in major quarantine incursions could devastate both the industry’s biosecurity and future financial viability.
“It is imperative that Minister Burke moves swiftly to ensure Biosecurity Australia utilises the ‘stop the clock’ provision until a full and thorough investigation into the risks posed by the Drospohila suzukii can be done,” Senator Nash concluded.
There are currently no comments, be the first to post one.