Editorial: Victory nears for apple growers

OPINION: New Zealand apple growers are one step nearer to outright victory over Australia, one which would be more lucrative than any recent one against our archrivals, including the two latest Bledisloe Cup victories.

The latest win at the World Trade Organisation over its 89-year-old apple dispute with Australia is a major shot in the arm to growers, because it was so comprehensive.

The world body supported New Zealand on all 16 measures it raised to show that Australian quarantine measures breached WTO trade rules.

The news is a double whammy for Australian growers. A recent report suggests that Chinese apples may be in Australia by the end of this year, prompting fears they may create a price war.

They are also worried that imported apples could carry pests and diseases. It all sounds very familiar.

Australian apple growers have maintained their spurious claims that Kiwi apples could carry fireblight and a couple of other diseases into orchards across the Tasman.

Not for them to have our juicier apples filling the produce shelves of major retailers in Melbourne or Sydney.

Not surprisingly, the Aussies won't go down without a fight. Yesterday afternoon, their minister of agriculture, Tony Burke, said they would appeal the WTO's decision.

He said they were disappointed with the decision and, despite losing on 16 counts, felt there were adequate grounds to appeal. So the ban will continue until an appeal has been heard. It's a pity they don't know when they've been beaten.

Their chances of winning an appeal are about as slim as an Australian victory over the All Blacks at the moment. Two recent decisions have gone against them and no WTO case has ever been overturned.

Nelson growers are in a great position to take advantage when the appeal has been rightly turned down. Selling braeburn and jazz apples in Australia would boost the export market by a healthy $25 million to $30m, about 5 per cent.

Admittedly, it's a relatively small market, but the real boost would come from the opening up of more lucrative Asian markets, such as China, South Korea, India and Japan, which have been restricted by arguments often involving the same pests and diseases.

Still, the appeal will mean it will not be until 2012 before our apples are seen in Australia.

Nelson MP Nick Smith said the WTO decision was a major victory for local growers but, accepting an appeal would be made, he said the Government would not be pushing the issue until after the election, because it didn't want it politicised.

That appears wishful thinking, because Labor and the Coalition will be battling it out for victory in marginal Queensland seats, where the apple lobby is strongest.

It is about time Australia accepted defeat on this argument and moved on. It might serve it better to concentrate on battling growers from other countries who could spark a price war – a far more damaging proposition.

As Pipfruit New Zealand chairman Ian Palmer said: "To quote Ed Hillary, we've knocked the bugger off and it's all downhill from here."

- © Fairfax NZ News

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