Creation of WTO panel to hear RP suit vs Australia pushed

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap is prepared to push for the creation of a dispute settlement panel by the World Trade Organization to prod Australia into finally settling the issue of access to the lucrative Australian market for Philippine fruits.

Australia has been withholding for almost a decade now the release of the all important Import Risk Analysis (IRA) for Philippine fresh fruits, particularly for fresh bananas, pineapples and mangoes.

Early this month, Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean, in a brief visit to the Philippines, had said that the release of the IRA might be possible in the second week of this month.

Unfortunately, Yap said, Australia still has not issued the IRA.

The release of the IRA as well as other phytosanitary requirements is being viewed by the Philippines as a non-tariff barrier being used by Australia to block the entry of Philippine fruits to the Australian market.

Australia has a strong domestic banana producers’ lobby against Philippine banana imports.

The Philippines has filed a complaint against Australia before the WTO.

Crean said the issue of Philippine fresh fruit exports to Australia was discussed during the one-day Philippines-Australia Ministerial Meeting (PAMM) held Oct. 9 at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay.

Nothing concrete was reached in the meeting. — Marianne Go