Aussie honey ban extended

Agriculture officials have extended the suspension of honey imports from Australia by up to two years.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has been trying to reactivate its 2006 approval of honey imports from Australia, but yesterday conceded more research was needed.

MAF developed and implemented an import health standard in 2006 - leading to the import of 2000kg of Australian honey in December 2006 - but it was quashed after a successful challenge by the bee industry.

The National Beekeepers' Association - which took the case against MAF director-general Murray Sherwin - pointed to MAF's acceptance that honey imports meant Paenibacillus alvei (P. alvei) bacteria would eventually be introduced to New Zealand.

An Environmental Risk Management Authority ruling in February 2007 concluded that the bacteria would be a new organism in New Zealand.

The beekeepers' view was that Australian honey should not be allowed in unless the risks of P. alvei had been considered by Erma - a view upheld by the Court of Appeal.

But the Biosecurity Minister at the time, Jim Anderton, changed the law on new "passenger" organisms last year because MAF claimed it was not possible to test for all new micro-organisms on imported goods.

But MAF has still not been able to re-activate honey imports.

Mr Sherwin said yesterday there was no need for changes on the risk of European foulbrood in bees, but there was a lack of information on P. alvei, Nosema ceranae and Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV). He was going back to Erma with a claim that P. alvei was in New Zealand and there was uncertainty over the status of N. ceranae and IAPV.

"Honey imports from Australia will not resume until this work is completed."

- NZPA