Orchardists set to deliver ultimatum to Australia

The orchardists who camped outside Australia's High Commission in Wellington and bowled their fruit underarm through its gates are taking their complaints to head office.

The apple growers yesterday sent representatives across the Tasman to tell the Australian Government that if it does not rule on access for New Zealand apples in the next three months, they will work to embarrass it on the world stage.

Australian Access Action Group said two members, Rupert Ryan and Dermott Malley, went to Canberra to put the Australian Government and its officials on notice.

"New Zealand produces safe, healthy and delicious apples and the Australian growers, their government and its officials know it," Mr Ryan said.

Australian orchardists had mounted a "huge charade" over the threat of a fungal disease, fireblight, being spread by New Zealand apples, he said.

Australian apple growers have said fireblight would be the end of their industry, but the New Zealand orchardists said fireblight had been in both Victoria and South Australia and it did not wipe out the industry or cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

A New Zealand scientist's discovery of three plants with fireblight in the Melbourne Royal Botanic gardens in 1997 - during a New Zealand campaign for transtasman access - resulted in 600 plants in the gardens being pulled out.

Australian biosecurity officials later said the discovery was a "benign" strain and no trace of it had been found in orchards.

"It's a massive sham and they've managed to hoodwink the Australian Government, public and the media," the two New Zealand orchardists said in a statement.

While in Canberra, they will hand over the group's submission to Biosecurity Australia on its draft import risk analysis which sets out rules for importing New Zealand apples.

Mr Ryan said the latest draft was full of unjustifiable restrictions and New Zealand growers were angry at the constant delays and stalling tactics.

"The trade ban has been for 85 years and this latest process round has dragged on since 1980," hesaid.

"Even now the Australians have given no deadline for the length of the time it will take to examine submissions and then to release the final IRA (import risk assessment)."

So the grower lobby had decided to tell Australia it had three months to deliver the final assessment.

"If not, we will go to the World Trade Organisation where Australia will be exposed for its double standards on free trade," he said.

- NZPA