Media release
The Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Tim Fischer
20 October, 1998
WTO Salmon Appeal
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Mr Tim Fischer, today announced that the WTO Appellate Body had released its report on Australia's appeal on the salmon dispute with Canada.
Mr Fischer said the report had accepted some aspects of Australia's appeal, but found that Australia was not in full conformity with certain of its WTO obligations.
"We will have to respond carefully to those aspects of the report that involve adverse findings with some of our WTO obligations. These relate to the Appellate Body's view on the inadequacy of the risk assessment involved and to differences in quarantine treatment between salmon and certain other fish having some diseases in common with salmon", Mr Fischer said.
"The Appellate Body concluded, however, that there was no basis for the Panel's earlier finding that Australia's quarantine measures on salmon wore more restrictive than necessary to achieve Australia's level of health protection for salmon." Mr Fischer said.
" It is important to recognise that the Appellate Body report does not question Australia's sovereign right to maintain a conservative approach to quarantine issues reflecting our relative freedom from exotic pests and diseases Mr Fischer said.
The Government will be consulting with interested State Governments, industry groups and other interested parties to develop options for responding to the Appellate Body conclusions. The wider implications for Australia's quarantine practices and procedures, including Australia's aquatic quarantine review program, will also need to be analysed".
"The Government response will also take into account the important role played by the WTO rules based system, including the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement, in underpinning Australian vital agri-food export industries' Mr Fischer said.
"For Tasmania alone food exports are valued at around $350 million per year, with seafood exports accounting for over one third of this total. We have also had good market opening wins such as increased access for oysters entering Japan and reductions in the tariff on lobsters to Taiwan through WTO-related negotiations. We must continue to keep these wider export interests in mind," Mr Fischer said.
Mr Fischer said he was maintaining close haison with outgoing Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, John Anderson, and the new Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Mark Vaile, who would be closely involved in developing the Government's response to the Appellate Body report.
Local Date: Thursday, 17-May-2012 15:49:21 EST