Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to talk about apples. ‘Apples are not apples’—and they certainly are not in this instance. In particular, I want to talk about the Australian apple industry and the potential importation of apples from China. There is a very serious issue looming for the Australian apple industry. It has been a little below the radar over recent times. Hopefully now we will start—really at the last moment—to get some focus on this out in the community. An import risk analysis process began last March to look at the potential importation of apples from China. We are very close to being at the end of that whole process. The only thing left to go is for the chief executive of Biosecurity Australia to tick that off and say, ‘Yes, the apples can come in.’ So that just sets the scene.

What has happened, though, in the meantime—at the end of last year—was the discovery in the United States of a pest called Drosophila suzukii—the spotted-wing drosophila. This caused serious concern to Biosecurity Australia. Drosophila suzukii was first officially reported as a fruit pest in mainland USA on 25 February 2010. A whole range of measures took place from there. During May last year, two Biosecurity Services Group officers went to the US on a verification visit to confirm the status. There were very serious concerns. Emergency measures were put in place because of the potential risk of this pest. What came to light at that point was that Drosophila suzukii had not been considered as a potential risk for Australia and for the importation of apples from China to Australia. This has caused serious concern within the industry, not that they are saying to stop any potential trade. They are saying, ‘We need time to have a proper, full and comprehensive process put in place to properly determine the risks that are posed by this pest, the Drosophila suzukii.

Apple and Pear Australia Limited put in some real concerns. There have been some appeals put in to the IRA process, all of which were either disallowed or knocked back. Last Thursday, the biosecurity spokesman for APAL, John Corboy, said:

The IRAAP said that commenting on D. suzukii would be commenting on the scientific merits of the IRA,

which is BA’s import risk assessment—

which was outside its terms of reference. It also said the import risk assessment can only be based on the known science at the time of the IRA.

There are some really huge concerns that this pest is not being included as part of the IRA. He went on to say:

It is absurd that a risk analysis is set to a fixed-time period. We don’t know the distribution of suzukii in China and we should be finding that information.

The key to this matter is that there are still far too many questions around the risk that this pest poses for Australia. Today, I have written to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Tony Burke, to ask him to support the halting of the process of the IRA by Biosecurity Australia to ensure that there is significant time given to be able to properly assess the potential risk of this pest. This can be done. Biosecurity Australia do have the provision to inquire further when there are issues of this nature. They have a stop-the-clock provision. It means that they can stop the IRA process at this point in time while they gather more information.

The minister should absolutely be supportive of this. We almost have here a similar situation to one we had just a few months ago with the potential importation of beef from countries that had had BSE—mad cow disease. That was about, at the time, the proper process not being in place. Fortunately—and congratulations to him—Minister Burke did a backflip and made sure that those proper processes could be put in place to determine the appropriateness of that beef coming in. The same thing applies here. We are asking the minister to ensure that the proper processes are in place—nothing more than that—because this country deserves to know that full, thorough and proper scientific analysis has been done on the risk of any potential pest in this country. I do not think it is too much to ask for a bit more time to make sure that we have had a thorough investigation into this. Bearing in mind what I said at the outset, we are nearly at the end of the IRA process and this could be ticked off any day, so the minister has to intervene now.

It is interesting that Biosecurity Australia says that this pest will not attack harvest-ready apples. But we are not sure. We do not have, and certainly the industry does not have, enough information to be absolutely sure that that is the case. It is very concerning that in the response from the Import Risk Analysis Appeals Panel to the claim from the apple growers that the Drosophila suzukii had not been included in the IRA process, they said:

The IRAAP agreed that any consideration of whether or not D. suzukii should have been added or omitted from the import risk analysis would be commenting on the scientific merits of the IRA, which is outside the IRAAP’s terms of reference.

They went on to say:

While the provisional final IRA report did not include D. suzukii in the IRA process, a pest initiated pest risk analysis is currently being conducted for D. suzukii by Biosecurity Australia.

‘Currently being conducted’ but, according to their briefing paper, that pest risk analysis is not going to be concluded until later in the year.

It is extremely important to note that this pest, Drosophila suzukii, has not been included in the import risk analysis for the potential importation of apples from China. At the same time, it has been noted that this pest poses a significant risk, subsequent to the discovery, in the United States. But the pest risk analysis in Australia has not been concluded yet. We have only had the emergency measures put in place, which is fumigation in the states and then some extra inspection. It is not good enough. All the industry is asking from the minister is to make sure that there is more time for this pest to be properly and scientifically investigated. The New South Wales Farmers Association came out today and the Horticulture Committee Chair, Peter Darley, expressed extreme disappointment in the import risk analysis process. He has called on the government to intervene to make sure that the appropriate time is available to properly investigate this pest.

I do not think there could be anything more important than making sure that we have the proper biosecurity arrangements in place for this country. We are an island nation. We are a clean, green island nation. In answer to some questions on this pest just last Thursday, Minister Burke actually said:

... a decision will be made on the basis of the science ...

He went on to say:

... I have no doubt that the Director of Biosecurity will act according to the responsibilities he holds in that job by making sure that the level of risk that is dealt with for Australia is kept at the appropriate level of very low but not zero.

What the industry are concerned about at the moment is that the scientific analysis has not been done to be absolutely sure that that risk is indeed very low. Industry require that a greater amount of time is taken to look at this pest, D. suzukii, to make sure that it does not pose a risk. Biosecurity said it is not going to attack harvest-ready apples. Why would the minister not make sure that that is indeed the case by allowing some more time? Dr Grant from Biosecurity said that that is correct, that it will not go to harvest-ready apples:

.. subject to there being no rotting fruit in a consignment.

Further evidence stated:

The only scientific evidence we have at the moment is for apples that are rotting or have been physically cut.

There is just too much out there at the moment that indicates we do not have the complete science on this pest. I ask the minister to support the industry in what they are trying to do.