Important documents have come to light on how the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) came to its draft recommendation to allow into Australia New Zealand apples, despite the risk to Australia of fire blight, the “foot and mouth disease” of horticulture. The documents reveal that 29 questions were put to 15 fire blight experts…
World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules have not required Australia to radically deregulate agriculture, as politicians and bureaucrats claim. American, European and Japanese farmers sell 80 percent plus of their products into highly protected domestic markets. The remaindered of their subsidised products is emptied onto the world markets and has a destabilising effect on the world…
Not only is the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) coming under strong attack for being seen to lower Australian quarantine standards, but the political consequences of its recent recommendation to allow New Zealand apples into Australia is set to spread from 32 rural electorates into the leafy suburbs of the Liberal Party’s heartland. Pat…
Has the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) managed to pull the wool over the eyes of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Minister, Warren Truss, and Cabinet in recommending that apples from fire blight affected New Zealand be allowed into Australia? The AQIS Import Risk Analysis (IRA) report came to the conclusion that, if New Zealand apples…