From: Cassia Ferguson [cassia@nagroup.com.au] on behalf of 'Rob Cathels' [rob@nagroup.com.au]
Sent: Monday, 4 July 2011 1 :55 PM
To: BA - Plant Biosecurity Contact
Subject: Submission to Biosecurity Australia in response to the Draft report for the non-regulated analysis of existing policy for apples from New Zealand
Submission to Biosecurity Australia in response to the Draft report for the non-regulated analysis of existing policy for apples from New Zealand
My name is Rob Cathels and I am the second generation of my family to produce and sell Australian Apples. My brother operates our 3 orchards in Batlow, NSWand I operate 5 divisions in the Sydney Markets. My children and their cousins, the third generation have their futures dramatically impacted, should the pest and
diseases from NZ enter our orchards.
- Transparency for Australian Growers:
-
- We should have the right to see the Integrated Fruit Production manual (Pipfruit NZ Inc).
- We should have the right to comment on the NZ standard practices.
- Are their practices guaranteed to be implemented and are they audited?
- Do NZ orchards have to declare a Fire blight outbreak?
- Australian authorities should be auditing NZ export orchards and packhouses:
-
- Is the Integrated Fruit Production manual audited?
- If a fire blight outbreak is detected, the orchard should be excluded from exporting to Australia.
- We should not relinquish pre-border biosecurity responsibility to the NZ industry that stands to gain
commercially if Australia becomes infected with foreign pest and diseases.
- Dangerous Precedent:
-
- European Canker was mitigated against for Chinese apple imports via Area Freedom. Why have high-risk European Canker infected growing regions of NZ been ignored?
- Will China expect their protocols to be relaxed further for apple imports?
- What precedent is set if we accept the use of an exporter's standard orchard practice to protect our
environment?
- Fire Blight:
-
- No chemicals are registered in Australia to control Fire blight (Erwinia amy/ovora)
- There are no chemicals available in Australia to control Fire blight
- If the chemical is used on Australian trees, the MRL for human consumption is zero, and therefore our apples will not be able to be sold or consumed.
- Visual inspections (600 pieces of fruit) will not identify Fire blight as it is not visible to the human
eye.
- Trash:
-
- Trash is proven to carry Fire blight pathogen
- Inspection in packhouses in NZ are necessary, especially the mechanical packer and tray fillers which cannot detect trash.
- The cartons need to be inspected prior to export for trash, so the pathogen does not reach our
shores.
Thank you,
Rob Cathels
N&A Group
T (02) 9764 3622
F (02) 97462273
M 0418 263 690
W www.nafruit.com.au
PO Box 77, Sydney Markets,
Stores 35-37, Building 'A', First Ave,
Sydney Markets, NSW, 2129