Australia publishes risk assessment for U.S. apples

U.S. Northwest apple growers may be one step closer to gaining access to the long-sought Australian consumer market.

U.S. apple industry leaders have been seeking access to the Australian apple market for more than 20 years, at times complaining that the Southern Hemisphere country is one of the most protectionist developed countries in the world.

The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on Oct. 31 published its risk analysis for fresh apples from the U.S. Pacific Northwest states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

In the report, the Australian Department of Agriculture recommended that imports of commercially produced fresh apples from the Pacific Northwest be permitted provided they meet the biosecurity import conditions. All imports must come from commercial production areas of the Pacific Northwest, the agency said.

The draft risk assessment was published on Oct. 23, 2020, for a 90-calendar-day public consultation period. There were 62 submissions on the draft report, and several changes were made to the final report following the review of the submissions and stakeholder comments, according to the Australian Department of Agriculture.

There was no date set for the start of U.S. apple imports by Australian officials.

Before imports from the U.S. can start, the Australian Department of Agriculture said it will verify with the U.S. that the specified import conditions can be met. Once verified, the agency will then publish import conditions on the Biosecurity Import Conditions system and then issue import permits to importers who meet the import conditions, the USDA reported.

The final risk analysis report, plus comments received on the report, can be found online.  

In a 66-page comment submitted to Australian ag officials, the industry trade group Apple and Pear Australia Limited voiced concern about the pest risk assessment that would open the door to imports of apples from the U.S.

“Apple and Pear Australia Limited has analyzed the report and considers it significantly underestimates the level of risk for many pests and diseases.”

Mark Powers, president of the Northwest Horticultural Council, Yakima, Wash., said there is Northwest apple industry concern about the pest risk assessment and the mitigation measures it may require.

“I wish I could say this is a positive report that will allow our apple growers to finally, after decades of interest, export fruit to Australia,” Powers said. “While there is quite a bit to read and many technical details to sort through, our initial assessment is not positive given the numerous pest and disease concerns and mitigation measures identified by Australia. These concerns will need to be addressed through often tedious and lengthy technical discussions before any apples might be shipped from the U.S. Unfortunately, this is not a surprise.”