Australian Politics Forum - An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.

imcrookonit

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An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.
Aug 10^th, 2010 at 8:26am

Aust to appeal NZ apple decision

Australia will appeal a World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling that tough restrictions on the importation of New Zealand apples are unduly restrictive on trade.

A decision by the WTO's panel of independent arbitrators recommended overnight "that the dispute settlement body request Australia to bring the inconsistent measures ... into conformity with its obligations".

But Agriculture Minister Tony Burke said on Tuesday Australia would appeal the decision to the WTO's appellate body.

"We are disappointed that the WTO panel found that the import risk analysis underpinning Australia's requirements for New Zealand apples is not sufficiently supported by scientific evidence and also that the requirements are unduly trade-restrictive," Mr Burke said in a statement.

"The relevant import requirements are aimed at addressing the quarantine risks associated with New Zealand apples in relation to the diseases fire blight and European canker, and the insect apple leafcurling midge."

Mr Burke said: "There are adequate grounds to appeal the panel's decision."

Australia banned imports of New Zealand apples in the 1920s. The government lifted the outright ban four years ago, but in early 2007 imposed conditions that New Zealand said were so strict it made its exports uneconomic.

On Tuesday, Mr Burke said the existing measures for New Zealand apples would remain in place "pending the outcome of the appeal".

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imcrookonit Ex Member	Re: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away. Reply #1 - Aug 10^th, 2010 at 8:30am What a wonderful idea. Bring in apples from NZ, what a good way to support the Australian apple farmers.
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freediver Gold Member Online www.ozpolitic.com Posts: 53187 At my desk.	Re: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away. Reply #2 - Aug 10^th, 2010 at 9:01am Free trade benefits everyone. We can't go misapplying our quarantine regulations as back door protectionism. Any farmer who expects Australians to pay more for a product just to keep them in business does not deserve our protection.
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gizmo_2655

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Re: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.
Reply #3 - Aug 10^th, 2010 at 9:15am

freediver wrote on Aug 10^th, 2010 at 9:01am:

Free trade benefits everyone. We can't go misapplying our quarantine regulations as back door protectionism.

Any farmer who expects Australians to pay more for a product just to keep them in business does not deserve our protection.

It's not about 'protectionism' freediver...
NZ does have disease that affect apples, mainly fire blight and European Canker........

So far, Australia has managed to stop these diseases from infecting our apple trees...

It really is a case of legitimate quarantine concerns....

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"I just get sick of people who place a label on someone else with their own definition.

It's similar to a strawman fallacy"
Bobbythebat

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freediver Gold Member Online www.ozpolitic.com Posts: 53187 At my desk.	Re: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away. Reply #4 - Aug 10^th, 2010 at 9:20am Not according to the WTO. There have been plenty of cases of Australian farmers pushing for the misapplication of quarantine regulation. And besides, you seem to be changing the basis of your criticism.
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gizmo_2655

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Re: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.
Reply #5 - Aug 10^th, 2010 at 9:29am

freediver wrote on Aug 10^th, 2010 at 9:20am:

Not according to the WTO. There have been plenty of cases of Australian farmers pushing for the misapplication of quarantine regulation.

And besides, you seem to be changing the basis of your criticism.

No not really...
I'm against things that stuff up the small farmers/businesses..

Like risking the importing of a disease that could wipe out ALL the apple orchards around Tumut..
And importing potentially diseased beef from Europe when Australia is one of the only countries in the World without BSE(Mad Cow Disease).

And I was against the importation of Californian frozen orange juice concentrate........and look at the result of that...

Thousands of hectares of orange trees plowed down and burned because it would cost more to pick the fruit than the farmer would get for selling it....

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"I just get sick of people who place a label on someone else with their own definition.

It's similar to a strawman fallacy"
Bobbythebat

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freediver

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Re: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.
Reply #6 - Aug 10^th, 2010 at 9:34am

Quote:

I'm against things that stuff up the small farmers/businesses..

But it is reality that stuffs up small farmers. Are you against reality?

Quote:

And I was against the importation of Californian frozen orange juice concentrate........and look at the result of that...

What result?

Quote:

Thousands of hectares of orange trees plowed down and burned because it would cost more to pick the fruit than the farmer would get for selling it....

This sounds like old fashioned protectionism to me - again nothing to do with quaratnine issues.

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People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words.

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gizmo_2655

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Re: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.
Reply #7 - Aug 10^th, 2010 at 9:38am

freediver wrote on Aug 10^th, 2010 at 9:34am:

Quote:

I'm against things that stuff up the small farmers/businesses..

But it is reality that stuffs up small farmers. Are you against reality?

Quote:

And I was against the importation of Californian frozen orange juice concentrate........and look at the result of that...

What result?

Quote:

Thousands of hectares of orange trees plowed down and burned because it would cost more to pick the fruit than the farmer would get for selling it....

This sounds like old fashioned protectionism to me - again nothing to do with quaratnine issues.

How is it 'reality' to import diseased fruit???
Free Trade Agreements must still bow before Quarantine Laws....

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"I just get sick of people who place a label on someone else with their own definition.

It's similar to a strawman fallacy"
Bobbythebat

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Sprintcyclist Gold Member Offline OzPolitic Posts: 41798 Gender:	Re: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away. Reply #8 - Aug 10^th, 2010 at 9:48am I'm on your side gizmo. As an island, we must protect ourselves.
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... Gold Member Offline Posts: 23673 WA Gender:	Re: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away. Reply #9 - Aug 10^th, 2010 at 10:07am NZ has the best fruit in the world. Australia should become East Island of NZ so that we can appease the protectionsits and people who want quality fruit.
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freediver

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Re: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.
Reply #10 - Aug 10^th, 2010 at 10:33am

Quote:

Free Trade Agreements must still bow before Quarantine Laws....

Sure, but you keep changing your mind about why you are criticising free trade. For example, can you explain the quarantine issues in this example you gave?

Quote:

Thousands of hectares of orange trees plowed down and burned because it would cost more to pick the fruit than the farmer would get for selling it....

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People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words.

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chicken_lipsforme

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Re: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.
Reply #11 - Aug 10^th, 2010 at 11:14am

I remember eating NZ fruit and vegetables in Asia during the eighties and nineties.
There is nothing wrong with it, and their export quality is as good as ours.
This is just trade protectionism and nothing more.
Either we have a free trade agreement, or we don't.
Trying to have a foot on both sides of the fence won't work.

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"Another boat, another policy failure from the Howard government"

Julia Gillard
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2003.

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athos Gold Member Offline Re-educate barbarians Posts: 6421 Hong Kong Gender:	Re: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away. Reply #12 - Aug 10^th, 2010 at 11:15am Quote: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away. It is maybe true foe organic apples. Can they export them.
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gizmo_2655

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Re: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.
Reply #13 - Aug 10^th, 2010 at 12:49pm

freediver wrote on Aug 10^th, 2010 at 10:33am:

Quote:

Free Trade Agreements must still bow before Quarantine Laws....

Sure, but you keep changing your mind about why you are criticising free trade. For example, can you explain the quarantine issues in this example you gave?

Quote:

Thousands of hectares of orange trees plowed down and burned because it would cost more to pick the fruit than the farmer would get for selling it....

Because the violation of the quarantine could result in the same actions (i.e destroying thousands of apple trees) as the concentrated orange juice thing did....

Different reasons, true, but the same result.....

And isn't it the Governments job, to 'protect' and encourage agriculture and employment????

Why is it so wrong to want to keep viable, profitable industry safe?

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"I just get sick of people who place a label on someone else with their own definition.

It's similar to a strawman fallacy"
Bobbythebat

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freediver

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Re: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.
Reply #14 - Aug 10^th, 2010 at 1:03pm

Quote:

And I was against the importation of Californian frozen orange juice concentrate........and look at the result of that...

Why were you against it again?

Quote:

Why is it so wrong to want to keep viable, profitable industry safe?

Nothing wrong with that. It's when people start confusing the protection of unviable industry against competition and protection against imported disease that you need to look closely at the motive. That's what the WTO is doing.

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People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words.

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