With Biosecurity Australia's final Import Risk Analysis (IRA) on Chinese apple imports to be handed down at the end of the month, the Australian apple industry is bracing for the impact.
According to Tony Russell, general manager of peak industry body Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL), the timing means that Chinese apples could be on supermarket shelves by the end of 2010.
'If no one appeals the import risk analysis, the next step is for the director of quarantine and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) to make a policy determination,' Mr Russell told Fruitnet.com.
'The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) has to then put in place a work plan, which allows the imports to meet the determinations made in the risk assessment. That could take them through to the next harvest in China, around late August to September.
'Within that time, we think AQIS will manage to get in place a work plan with their Chinese counterparts. That's why we think imports are possible by the end of the year,' Mr Russell said.
One of APAL's chief concerns is the possible introduction of pests into Australia, and the sheer size of the Chinese apple industry is good reason for authorities to be vigilant.
'Given the size of the industry there, we still have some concerns that there are diseases that are not known, or not recorded,' Mr Russell asserted.
'We've had unsubstantiated reports that people have seen what looks like fire blight in China, but no one's been able to prove that it does exist there.'
Mr Russell believes the IRA due at the end of February will demand a registration process for Chinese apple exports to Australia.
'That means that all orchards and packhouses involved in the trade of apples to Australia will need to be registered and approved by AQIS. That's what we believe will be in the final document,' he said.
With Australia already accepting imports of Chinese pears, it appears only a matter of time before Chinese apples gain market access and according to Mr Russell, this is simply a by-product of a global economy.
'We don't like the idea, we've still got some concerns and our concerns are more trade-based.
'We're sure it'll have an impact on the Australian market. We've known that this pressure has being coming for years. We can't do anything about it, this is world trade operating here.'
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