A World Trade Organisation (WTO) decision on New Zealand efforts to export apples to Australia is expected to be delivered to the Government at the end of March.
New Zealand has made a bid to overturn an 89-year Australian ban on New Zealand apple imports – initially imposed because of the perceived risk of spreading the bacterial disease, fireblight.
In 2007 New Zealand scientists showed clean, mature fruit was unlikely to carry fireblight, prompting Biosecurity Australia to say they would end the ban.
When the ban was replaced with tight quarantine restrictions, New Zealand orchardists said it would be uneconomic to ship the apples trans-Tasman.
The issues were reviewed in July 2009 by a WTO panel of experts. They were expected to make a decision in November, but judgement was put off a further two months.
The WTO panel is expected to release a report to both the Australian and New Zealand governments for comment in March.
"We're waiting on the WTO report due at the end of March. We won't get a public release until the middle of year," Pipfruit NZ chief executive Peter Beaven told Fruitnet.com. He blamed a lack of resources at the WTO secretariat.
3 News