Australian commissioner promises to relay apple message

Australian High Commissioner Allan Hawke will relay New Zealand apple growers' frustration at a ban on Kiwi apple imports to the Australian Government, as New Zealand ratchets up pressure through the World Trade Organisation.

Angry apple growers converged on Parliament and the Australian High Commission from all over the country yesterday to demand an end to the 84-year-old ban.

More than 600 protesters, accompanied by 30 tractors, marched from the Wellington Railway Station to Parliament, waving placards and demanding an end to the ban which is costing them an estimated $20-$30 million a year.

During the march, one protester dressed as an Australian cricketer bowled apples underarm, and others handed out free apples to the public.

After listening to politicians outside Parliament, they marched to the Australian High Commission, where representatives John Bostock and Phil Alison met Dr Hawke as apples flew over the fence on to the commission grounds.

New Zealand apples are banned because of the presence of fireblight disease in this country. But in 2003, the WTO ruled fireblight was not transmitted on mature fruit.

Mr Alison told Dr Hawke it appeared Australia's biosecurity rules were "completely dependent on the level of internal political ructions".

Dr Hawke said Australia was awaiting a revised import risk analysis following up on New Zealand's 1999 request for market access.

Trade and Agriculture Minister Jim Sutton last week announced the Government would take the ban to the WTO sanitary and phytosanitary committee next Wednesday - the first time New Zealand has taken a dispute with its Closer Economic Relations partner to the trade body.

The committee's findings are not binding but the Government wants to ratchet up pressure on Australia by forcing it to justify itself.

And the Government argued yesterday that taking a full case through the WTO disputes resolution process could take up to three years.

That did not stop National, Act and NZ First joining growers to demand such action, with National leader Don Brash saying taking the issue to the committee was just a "sop to apple growers".

The protesters also vented anger at what they claim has been a lack of action by the Government over the past five years. Mr Bostock told the crowd New Zealand politicians had been "weak, gutless and useless in dealing with Australia".

As well as taking a case through the WTO disputes process, growers want the Government to halt CER talks until access is granted and withdraw support for Australia's chairmanship and membership of the pro-free trade Cairns Group.

They also called for the public to boycott Australian fresh fruit and vegetables.

The growers repeatedly chanted "Where's Jim", but Mr Sutton was in Christchurch on a long-standing engagement.

Foreign Minister Phil Goff spoke to the protesters in his place.

Meanwhile, another farmer protest comes to Parliament today over proposed changes to land access rules.