Peak Queensland horticulture organisation Growcom remains 'gravely concerned and alarmed' by Biosecurity Australia's recommendation to allow cavendish bananas from the Philippines into Australia under strict import conditions.
Growcom focusses, especially, on the risk of diseases such as Moko, Black Sigatoka and Freckle to the Australian banana industry.
Chief advocate Mark Panitz said that he was not confident that the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) could adequately protect the industry under the terms required by the Import Risk Analysis (IRA).
The nature of these diseases and AQIS's limited resources and manpower accentuate the risk.
“There is no margin for error where the Philippines’ compliance with the proposed risk management measures is concerned," he said.
It's a final IRA report into the importation and stakeholders have until December 12 (30 days) to lodge an appeal in response.
“Detection of these diseases involves complex science," Mark Panitz said.
"While the recommended quarantine measures under the IRA sound good on paper, I am not confident that AQIS has the resources to adequately protect the local industry.
“And as we have seen in the recent equine influenza outbreak in Australia, and, before that, the citrus canker outbreak, the cost to local industry of a slip-up comes in billions of dollars.
“Ultimately Australian consumers will be the ones to pay if the result is that they are no longer able to buy fresh bananas locally due to the collapse of the Australian industry.“
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