After over 20 years of lobbying, the United States has been granted permission to export apples to Australia, but local farmers have raised concerns over the biosecurity risks.
The decision was made after the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry published its final report for the risk analysis of commercially importing apples from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho on Oct. 31.
It found 20 pests were associated with apples grown in these areas and therefore required relevant risk management measures.
These pests include apple maggots, flat scarlet mites, codling moths, and speck rot, as well as three pests that Australia is currently free of—apple leaf curling midge, fire blight, and European canker….