Apple growers in Australia are confident that the upcoming World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling on the entry of New Zealand apples to the Australian market will go in their favour.
A hearing in Geneva, Switzerland last week saw both sides argue their cause, with legal and technical teams meeting with expert witnesses to debate the long-running apple access case.
Australian growers have argued that the bacterial disease fireblight could be spread by New Zealand fruit if it is allowed into the country, while New Zealand experts have suggested that requirements put in place by Australia for access are 'impossible' to meet, claiming that the prior risk analysis process had been heavily intertwined with political interference and alterations.
John Corboy, chairman of the Australian topfruit industry's 'fireblight taskforce', told ABC Rural that he was confident the WTO decision would end positively for his country.
'We believe that New Zealand has an extremely difficult, if not impossible, case to prove that Australia hasn't used...credible science in supporting its role on this,' he said.
The WTO panel is set to announce its decision in November, with eithercountry then having 30 days to appeal, which could add a further 6-8months to the final outcome.
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