Risk assessment for Pacific Islands lime imports

Risk assessment for Pacific Islands lime imports

15-June-2017

On June 6, the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources released its draft report on a risk assessment for lime fruit from a number of Pacific Island nations.

Citrus Australia market access manager, David Daniels, said the risk assessment builds upon other policies for lime imports and addresses a number of additional pests.

“Australia already has import policy for limes from various origins including New Caledonia, although to the best of our knowledge, no meaningful trade in limes has ever taken place,” David said.

“Citrus Australia has been in contact with the department throughout the process and has waited with eager anticipation for the draft report to be released.

“We emphasise that at this point, it is only a draft report and no policy decision has been made.

“Our initial impression is that it is a very thorough and detailed report and we have a certain degree of confidence that the assessments have been conducted by officers with the right level of expertise.

“However, while we don’t expect substantial trade to take place, we will still be engaging our technical experts to scrutinise the assessment as it could set a precedent for future policies.”

All stakeholders are invited to provide submission by August 7, 2017.

The department is required to consider all stakeholder submissions before releasing the final report or developing any import policy.

The documents can be accessed at: http://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity/risk-analysis/plant/tahitian-limes/draft-review-bio-import-req-tahitian-limes