By PHILIPPA STEVENSON
agricultural editor
The Agriculture Minister has stepped into the row over apple exports as an anxious Enza awaits detail of permits granted to independent marketers.
On Friday, Mr Sutton urged sections of the pipfruit industry to back off from their criticism of the independent permits committee.
The pressure from people
promoting their own applications and from those concerned about the impact on Enza was distracting the committee, he said.
His comments followed several weeks of criticism, culminating last week in the Nelson-based pipfruit lobby group, United Fruit, reconvening to try to stop the permits committee from approving any more independent export permits.
Mr Sutton said the committee's difficult task was sanctioned by Parliament and overwhelmingly supported by the industry.
The committee had hoped to pass more detail on 23 approved applications - covering 1.2 million cartons - to Enza last week , but executive chairman John McCliskie said by Friday only details of one application under consideration had been seen.
Committee secretary Nicola White said the volume of work "from all directions" had delayed the information, but it would be given to Enza today.
Meanwhile, the industry took a new restructuring plan to Mr Sutton on Friday after he rebuffed its first effort in December because of the way growers were to be awarded shares.
As well as a share allocation scheme, the plan contains a constitution for a new company, Enza Ltd, which is to be formed by April 1 out of the current assets of the Apple and Pear Marketing Board.
In the rejigged proposal, shares will be based on growers' supply history in each year from 1992 to 1999.
If the Minister approves the plan it will be put to growers, who need to pass it by a 75 per cent majority.
