Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 7:43:09 to 7:50:10
Review of the departmental delegation to the Philippines to assess production practices and the revised 30-month timeline for the formal banana import risk assessment.
Topics: Biosecurity, Trade policy, Food security
Speakers: Dr Peter Finnin, Senator Susan McDonald, Senator Glenn Sterle, Unknown Speaker
welcome officers and I invite questions. Senate McDonald.
>> Thank you, chair. And I of course want to ask about banana imports. You got the right people at the table. >> Well, of course, not banana imports. Potential for banana imports. We have still no banana imports. >> In March, a departmental delegation visited banana farms in the Philippines as part of the import risk analysis at a cost of about $67,000. What did the trip report find about moco black sigatoga black banana freckle and TR4 on the farms visited and will it be
>> sorry. Can I ask for the volume to be turned up for our witnesses, please? I I don't know if it's just me, but I just struggle to hear. >> Thank you. Sorry.
>> Thanks, Chair. Thanks, Senator McDonald. Dr. Peter Finnin and First Assistant Secretary of Busy Plant and Science Services Division. Um so yes, as you've said, the team went across to the Philippines um to look at banana production practices in the Philippines as part of of undertaking our risk when we were uh in country, we did see a range of um production practices that the Philippines used that was useful context for us in understanding uh how the bias cut risk um can potentially be managed. As I think we've discussed previously, what the Philippines have asked us to do is come and assess their existing production practices and then discuss with them whether there are alternative measures that can be applied to the risks of some of those pests that you've mentioned. Um that mean uh that we could agree to alternatives to those measures that were um stipulated under the 200 uh8 uh biocurity risk assessment. Um, we did see evidence of a range of pests and diseases in the banana plantations uh in the Philippines. That was not unexpected. We anticipated that we would um their management practices. So depending on what disease um they might be managing will depend on the various practices that they implement including fungicide treatments including bagging of um developing bunches of bananas and and the like. Um and certainly the presence of disease doesn't necessarily mean the risk can't be managed. We need to understand what the risk of transmission of those diseases to Australia through fruit might be and whether they can be managed. And to your question about whether it will be published, we have already published um a um a summary of the findings um that our technical experts saw uh in that visit and that is already publicly available on our website and certainly the information that the team have um um gathered through that process is being used as the team is currently drafting our draft um uh risk assessment report.
Uh can I just check the timeline? Is that planned to to still be the decision made by January? Is that right?
>> Um so Senator, we've currently drafting the report and our intention is to provide that report for a public consultation in the first half of 2027. so that's sort of the next major milestone is the publication of the draft report. Uh, as I say, at this stage, we're still on track to do that in the first half of 2027.
>> The first half. Okay. I mean, I guess since we started talking about the assessment for banana imports, banana farmers have been asking um that they be involved in the consultation, the process, which thank you, you have been very engaged with. uh but also trying to make sure that the the the process wasn't you know so long that it became ownorous and people stopped making decisions about investment into uh into equipment and infrastructure and so forth. Um was that the time frame? I I seem to recall that the the time frame was earlier like not in the first half of 2027 but maybe the first quarter but have I misremeled that? Um I think
perhaps 6 months or so ago we might have been talking a slightly earlier time frame but as you may recall there had been some delays in getting our team across to the Philippines which [laughter] have slowed down a little bit of of the progress. Uh but certainly we are very focused on ensuring that we do a thorough and rigorous uh process but equally that we don't take uh excess time to do that process. Um and as we've discussed previously, one of the uh benefits of engaging with the biocurity import risk analysis process, the beer process, which is the formal regulated process under the biocurity act is there is a 30-month time frame within which we are expected to complete that work and we remain on track to do that. So we announced the bureau on the 16th of beg you pardon on the 16th of June. uh we announced the commencement of the bureau and so 30 months from the 16th of June is the um 30 month cut off from when we need to uh complete that work.
>> Uh was that the 16th of June last year?
>> Uh 16th of June 2026 so this year and so we made that announcement and also at that point released an issues paper um and then we sought feedback on the issues paper. So we were looking for feedback from stakeholders to uh confirm that the issues that we intend to cover in the risk analysis are the issues that are of particular concern to a range of stakeholders but most particularly the Australian domestic industry.
>> So that means that the completion date wouldn't be I think October 28.
>> Yes. The fourth quarter of 2028 is the deadline for completion. So um that doesn't mean we have to take that much and as I say we are looking to release the draft report in the middle of by the middle of 2027. Um we'll do our consultation with stakeholders at that point in time and then it depends a little bit on uh how much input we get from our stakeholders at that point in time as to how much additional work there may be required to take on board all that feedback and prepare a final report um and work through things like assessment by the scientific advisory