Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor says more government targeting of non-tariff trade barriers in Asia would help secure new markets for horticulturalists.

On the parliament’s joint select committee inquiring into trade and investment growth, Mr Taylor said differing protocols in Asian countries on the treatment of fruit fly remained a huge stumbling block for mainland cherry exporters. He said the industry had called for more resourcing from within government departments to target these specific issues and further support Free Trade Agreements.

“It’s been hammered home to me at the inquiry and at meetings since, by cherry growers in my own electorate and across Australia, that if we can get key markets in Asia to accept more workable protocols for fruit fly, then growers are in a unique position to fly in product within one to two days. This is our big advantage over competitor countries like Chile, Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand, which can’t get their product there as fast.”

In a speech to parliament this week, Mr Taylor said the industry was in fierce agreement, that if market access was granted into south east Asia, centres like Young would ‘come alive again”.

“The most immediate thing we can do as a government is to get that capability inside relevant government departments so they can make the case about research that has been done on fruit fly status and then, market by market, convince the buyers we have this under control.”

Cherry Growers Australia CEO Simon Boughey said demand for cherries in Asia was huge.

“Our growers are getting emails and phone calls from south-east Asia, and our trading partners are just asking for more and more. There’s a big market there. But we’re locked out because of uncommercial protocols and the need to work on this in commercial and seasonal timeframes. Instead we have to wait in line while protocols are dealt with, industry by industry. Many of these countries will only accept fumigation or cold treatment via weeks of transit by sea freight. That is just not commercial because the fruit loses so much quality after two to three weeks from the tree. If we actually picked and packed and sent via airfreight, we could be in south east Asia within 48 hours, as Tasmanian cherries already are.”

Young district cherry grower Geoff Clark said the industry needed strong advocacy to seize market opportunity. “I’m convinced Angus is on the right track and if he can take a part of the lead on behalf of cherry growers, as well as others in horticulture, we might get somewhere.”

Caption: Angus Taylor with Hume cherry growers Tom Eastlake, Siri and Trevor Hall, Geoff Clark, Matt Burgess and Mike Batinich.