MORE BREAKING NEWS on salmon disease issue
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TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT MEDIA RELEASE
Bryan Green, MHA
Minister for Primary Industries, Water and Environment
Tuesday, 16 September 2003
Imported Raw Salmon Seized
The Tasmanian Quarantine Service has seized uncooked imported salmon brought illegally into the State by a major Tasmanian supermarket chain.
The Minister for Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Bryan Green, ordered the seizure after it was found the product breached Tasmania’s quarantine laws.
Mr Green said imported uncooked or raw salmon was prohibited from entering the State under laws to quarantine Tasmania’s important salmon industry and recreational fishery from the risk of disease.
“This is a blatant breach of Tasmania’s quarantine laws and quick and decisive action was taken to seize the product as soon as it was discovered.
Mr Green said the breach was reported by the National Anglers’ Lobby.
“I view any breach of our quarantine laws very seriously.
“The salmon industry and our recreational fishery are major Tasmanian employers and are hugely important to the State.
“I will ensure this breach is investigated to fullest extent.”
Mr Green said the product was removed from the shelves of Coles Supermarkets around the State within an hour of authorities being notified and is now being held at registered quarantine centres around the State.
Mr Green said he had been advised that the equivalent of a consolidated pallet load of imported product had been seized.
“Quarantine officers have been to every Coles supermarket in the State and management co-operated fully with the direction to remove the product from shelves.”
Mr Green urged the public to return packs of frozen uncooked salmon fillets marked ‘produce of Norway’ to either Coles or the State Quarantine Service.
The initiative is part of the State Government’s commitment to progressing Tasmania Together Goal 20 – Promote our island advantages including our clean green image, natural resources, location and people
Further information: Tasmanian Government Communications Office
Phone: (03) 6233 6573
TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT MEDIA RELEASE
Bryan Green, MHA
Minister for Primary Industries, Water and Environment
Tuesday, 16 September 2003Seizure Of Infected Salmon Imports
The State Government is asking the Commonwealth as a matter of urgency to impose a total ban on uncooked salmon imports from Norway.
Minister for Primary Industries, Water & Environment Bryan Green today said the seizure of contaminated Atlantic Salmon in Sydney was proof that certification protocols in Norway were not being observed.
Mr Green said three consignments of contaminated Norwegian Atlantic Salmon had been seized by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) over the past two days.
Another four separate consignments have been rejected by AQIS inspectors over the past few months.
“The presence of the fish on the mainland is uncomfortably close and a cause for great concern,” Mr Green said.
“The fish was infested with a species of live sea-lice which does not occur in Australia.
“While it is good that AQIS detected the infestation, visual inspection would not pick up one of the numerous viral or bacterial diseases which Norway has but Australia does not.
“Introduction of some of these diseases or parasites could wipe out not only our $170-million salmon industry but our recreational trout fishery, which attracts anglers from all over the world.
“It is vital that AQIS establishes clear lines of communication to allow stakeholders to know what is happening in a timely fashion. At the moment the information is coming third or fourth hand.”
Mr Green said the seizures reinforced Tasmania’s position on not allowing salmon imports to be brought into Tasmania.
“Imported salmon are supposed to meet protocols overseen by the despatching country to reduce the risks of disease transfer.
“The first consignment from Norway arrived with the heads still attached despite the protocol calling for fish to be head-off to reduce the risk of disease.
“The fact that these infestations have gone undetected by pre-dispatch inspection says little for the way the Norwegian protocols are being applied as they should have been identified at some stage through harvesting, processing, packing or inspection.
“I’m told some of the Norwegian companies are near bankruptcy, which may compromise their quality control.
“It would seem appropriate, in the circumstances, to immediately stop imports until these issues have been resolved,” Mr Green said.
* * *
Further information: Tasmanian Government Communications Office
Phone: (03) 6233 6573
Toronto Star, Mar. 11, 2002.
Frankenfish
Ruling awaited on whether gene-altered salmon is safe
Don Thompson, ASSOCIATED PRESS
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The battle over genetically modified food has expanded from land to sea.
An application to sell Atlantic salmon with super-growth genes now sits before United States federal regulators, who must decide if Frankenfish — as its legions of critics call it — is safe for the dinner table.
A Food and Drug Administration ruling is expected to influence the fate of dozens of other animals such as cows, chickens and pigs that could be cloned and genetically engineered in laboratories across the United States.
The genetic tinkering is aimed at faster stocking of supermarket meat counters and dairy sections.
The engineered salmon, raised by Waltham, Mass.-based Aqua Bounty Farms Inc., grow to market size twice as fast as their natural cousins.
Supporters say these salmon would sell for less in supermarkets, while easing pressure on wild or hatchery-raised fish.
Opponents fear the engineered fish will hasten the demise of naturally grown species if allowed to crossbreed. They also argue that human health risks have not been thoroughly studied.
While work on transplanting fish genes has been under way for about 15 years, the pending approval has brought the debate to a head. The FDA has given no indication on when it may rule, though Aqua Bounty said it expects a decision by 2004.
In the meantime, one state has enacted its own law while another considers legislation. Maryland permits farming of genetically modified fish in ponds or lakes that don't connect to other waterways — although transgenic fish in the United States are currently only raised in tanks separated from natural habitats.
California is considering outlawing genetically engineered fish.
A bill pending in the California Senate would ban the import, possession or release of the fish anywhere in the state, with violators fined up to $50,000 (U.S.).
California supermarkets and fish markets — but not restaurants — would have to label genetically modified fish, under another pending bill.
Others, meanwhile, are tinkering with other breeds.
English researchers are working on tilapia, while Canadian researchers concentrate on Chinook salmon. Transgenic tilapia are being considered for approval by Cuba, and genetically altered carp by China.
New Zealand researchers already developed salmon they said might reach 550 pounds, but halted the project because of public objections.
Fast-growing tilapia could become a new staple in the developing world, said Norman Maclean of the University of Southampton, England, School of Biological Sciences.
Opponents say the escape of genetically engineered fish could soon drive a wild population to extinction, citing a Purdue study showing that the "superfish" could have a competitive advantage over native fish for food, mates and habitat.
But the Purdue study tracked tiny Japanese fish called medaka that were altered with a growth gene from Atlantic salmon. Environmental research so far shows the opposite may be true for salmon, or for catfish, researchers said.
Gene-altered Atlantic salmon swim slower, reproduce poorly, use more oxygen and take more risks for food than their wild cousins, said Aqua Bounty vice-president Joseph McGonigle and Auburn University fisheries researcher Rex Dunham.
Transgenic catfish have about a 10 percent lower survival rate if they're forced to compete with native fish, said Dunham.
"They're simply not adapted to life in the wild," said McGonigle. "We just seem to be an easy target because fish have that gee-whiz factor.''
McGonigle said there are hundreds of adult fish that are kept in tanks inside locked buildings on Prince Edward Island. Water from the tanks is filtered into an underground septic system and not discharged into local waterways.
Regardless, researchers are attempting to head off the environmental debate by promising to use only sterilized fish that couldn't reproduce even if they escape.
Naturally grown Atlantic salmon have escaped from the ocean pens where they are raised in Washington's Puget Sound and in waters across the border in British Columbia. The fish are an ocean away from their normal breeding grounds, and biologists say interbreeding with Pacific salmon is unlikely.
However, Canadian biologists have found young Atlantic salmon in two streams on Vancouver Island, indicating that the farm-raised fish have been able to reproduce.
Already, more than half the salmon sold in the United States is farm-raised. Fish farming is a $40 million business in Washington, where farmers raise about 10 million pounds a year. That's dwarfed by British Columbia, where 80 million pounds of salmon are produced.
Legal Notice:- Copyright 1996-2002. Toronto Star Newspapers Limited.
TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT MEDIA RELEASE
David Llewellyn, MHA
Minister for Primary Industries, Water and Environment
Tuesday, 6 June 2000
SENATE SALMON REPORT
Minister for Primary Industries, Water and Environment, David Llewellyn, says the Senate Report on salmon importation vindicates the Tasmanian Government’s stand on the issue.
Mr Llewellyn said the report urges the Federal Government to reopen the WTO case to establish the principle of area free status.
It was also damning of the Federal Government’s lack of legal and administrative resources in place to address important WTO matters, which Mr Llewellyn said reflected the low priority given to uphold Australia’s quarantine protection.
"The Tasmanian Government has asked the Federal Government to start working toward a regional zoning system to ensure Tasmania’s environment, tourism sector and salmon industries are protected from introduced disease," said Mr Llewellyn.
"The Senate Committee’s report supports that position. The Federal Government should start standing up for Tasmania’s interests."
Mr Llewellyn said the report was also highly critical of the lack of consultation carried out by AQIS when dealing with Import Risk Assessments, and the Federal Government’s role in establishing appropriate levels of protection (ALOP).
"The Federal Government undermined Australia’s quarantine levels with its pursuit of trade-related quarantine policies, needlessly accelerating the progressive demise of industries invaluable to regional Australia.
"It was inescapable that trade, rather than environmental considerations or community expectations had driven the Federal Government’s decision to ease the salmon import restrictions.
"We expect more from the Federal Government. It should now start to redress its inadequate handling of the issue by working to protect Tasmania through a regional zoning system."
Further Information:
Tasmanian Government Communications Office
Phone: (03) 6233 6007
From Australian Senate Hansard, P 13695, 10 May 00:
Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee - Extension of Time
Motion (by Senator Calvert, at the request of Senator Crane)--by leave--agreed to:
That the time for the presentation of the report of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee on the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service and the importation of salmon be extended to 8 June 2000.
TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT MEDIA RELEASE
David Llewellyn, MHA
Minister for Primary Industries, Water and Environment
Friday, 14 April 2000
ZONING FOR SALMON
The State Government has called on the Federal Government to enter into serious negotiations to adopt a zoning policy deal with the issue of fish disease.
This follows the Commonwealth’s refusal to reassess Australia’s Accepted Level of Protection to stop diseased fish and fish products coming into the country.
Minister for Primary Industries, Water and Environment, David Llewellyn, has written to the Federal Fisheries Minister, Warren Truss, and Trade Minister, Mark Vaile, restating Tasmania’s case for banning diseased fish entering the state.
Mr Llewellyn said Tasmania already benefits from zoning provisions under the WTO’s own Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (SPS) having demonstrated disease freedom in respect to a number of diseases, for example fruit fly.
"It is precisely these SPS provisions relating to zoning that Tasmania is pressing to have applied in the case of salmonid diseases in the State.
"Given Canada is aggressively [pursuing] its interests using WTO disciplines, the Commonwealth must also fully exploit WTO mechanisms in respect to zoning, to protect Tasmania from disease."
Mr Llewellyn said AQIS’s rejection of the zoning proposal to date failed to reflect a proper understanding Tasmania’s rationale for seeking recognition as a zone.
"The Tasmanian Government remains resolute in its intention to refuse entry to fish and fish products that do not satisfy our appropriate level of protection.
"The introduction of exotic disease which affect our farmed fish, wild trout or native fishes would not only jeopardise our fish faming industry, our world class recreational fishery and our unique environment, it would also tarnish the very image that Tasmania relies upon for its future prosperity.
"The consequences of disease introduction could be catastrophic for the state as a whole as well as particular regions, such as the Huon and Channel areas which rely on the salmon farming industry for hundreds of jobs."
Mr Llewellyn also urged the Federal Government to support a new consensus driven approach to national quarantine decision-making which recognised regional differences in sanitary characteristics and impacts.
"Canberra’s insistence on a one-size-fits-all quarantine policy is simply not acceptable in Tasmania because of our special status as an island which is a fundamental plank of our clean green image for our food and tourism industries."
Further Information:
Tasmanian Government Communications Office
Phone: (03) 6233 6007
From Australian Senate Hansard, 12 Apr 00:
Motion (by Senator Calvert, at the request of Senator Crane) agreed to:
That the time for the presentation of the report of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee on the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service and the importation of salmon be extended to 11 May 2000.
Irish concerns about infectious anaemia, sea lice
Irish Times, Editorial page, 12 Apr 00 (not available online)
A National Treasure
Everything going splendidly in the booming Ireland of today? Gone the old, easy ways; it's all business and high-tech. No doubts? No grumbles as to where we are going? Well, here and there. And one big query on the future arrives through the post, a newsletter headed 'SOS, Save Our Sea Trout', which appeal also includes the salmon.
Never before, probably, has salmon been available at such a price in the shops. The reason: we are farming the fish in great quantities, mostly off the West coast. But, at the same time, argue the people who sent the newsletter, this activity, admittedly employing many people in areas not normally providing many jobs, is endangering the future of one of our great national treasures - the wild Atlantic salmon which annually swims up so many of our rivers, deposits and fertilises the eggs which lead to the continuation of the species.
For, a year or perhaps two, later, small salmon, at first known as parr, then as smolts, go down to the seas to return, years later, unerringly to their own birth waters and spawn in their turn and so the cycle continues.
It is when the smolts go to sea that they are particularly susceptible to attack by sea lice which abound among the salmon farms and, say people like our SOS correspondents, wreak terrible damage. The farms, they argue, need more controlling. Such people also argue that if the controlling or elimination of sea lice in the farms cannot be handled, the farms, or cages, should be situated far, far out to sea and not near the river mouth through which the wild salmon travel. The action to date of the authorities, the SOS people argue, has been inadequate.
And there are other dangers. A disease known as Infectious Salmon Anaemia is spreading out of control in Scottish salmon farms and in Canada, and is infecting wild fish in both countries. The SOS people have yet to be convinced that the correct methods are being used here to test farm fish for this disease.
It must be assumed, by the way, that none of the fish diseases is transmissible to humans, or the authorities would have warned us. But the control of the valuable fish-farming industry is important, of prime importance, to ensure that it can in no way interfere with that annual miracle of the appearance of that great fish in our rivers. This is not just a matter for wealthy angling Colonel types. It should be a matter of national pride that our country is still a haven for one of the greatest gifts of Nature.
Nutreco pays US$1bn for Norwegian salmon company
6 Apr 00, De Volkskrant, Netherlands (precis)Dutch cattle and fish feed producer Nutreco is taking over Hydro Seafood, a Norwegian salmon breeding and processing company, for Fl 1bn. Nutreco Aquaculture will consequently become the largest player in the Atlantic salmon industry with a 20 per cent market share.
Hydro Seafood is the market leader with an 11 per cent a share of the market. It generated NKr2.2bn (Fl 605m) turnover last year and supplies to 800 clients in more than 50 countries. The acquisition will be financed with external capital and a share issue. Nutreco is already the world's largest producer of salmon feed with a total market share of 40 per cent and, until now, Norway was the only large salmon region where Nutreco did not have an important position. The fish industry is the fastest growing food sector worldwide.
Green light for Aust salmon exports to NZ
Lloyds List Daily Commercial News, 29 Mar 00 (precis)The New Zealand Government has opened its salmon market to Australian imports. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has announced that a health standard will be developed, but that salmon will be allowed in, gutted but with head and gills intact. This follows several scientific analyses of the risk of introducing salmonid diseases which are present in Australia but have not been detected in New Zealand. The evaluations commenced in 1994 and the Biosecurity Authority accepted various submissions also.
Go to media release by Truss and Vaile (24 Mar 00).
Trade ban threatened over raw salmon imports: Australian unions angered after WTO favours Canada
Financial Post - Canada ; 27 Mar 00 [original URL]
MELBOURNE - A dispute over proposed imports of raw Canadian salmon into Australia could provoke bans on millions of dollars worth of other Canadian exports, Australian trade unions have warned.
The warning is the latest development in a saga that began more than two decades ago, with Canada seeking to overturn an Australian import ban.
The unions are angry over a World Trade Organization ruling that Canada had been correct in arguing there was no scientific basis for the ban on raw salmon to be imposed on quarantine grounds.
The Australian government announced last week it would not appeal the WTO ruling.
But with union backing, the lifting of the import ban is being strongly resisted by the island state of Tasmania, where the country's salmon-growing industry is based.
The ban is protecting an industry worth $120-million a year from the risk of imported diseases, Jim Bacon, the state's Premier, said last week.
"The WTO in Geneva is trying to force us to accept potentially diseased raw Canadian salmon, putting our whole industry at risk," Mr. Bacon said.
"We will not be bullied. Under no circumstances will I or my government be allowing any of our valuable agricultural industry to be put in jeopardy," he declared.
However, under WTO rules, Canada now has the right to retaliate against Australian exports if the salmon import ban is not removed. A draft list of Australian products for possible retaliation, mostly agricultural goods, has already been prepared.
Surtaxes of 100% above existing customs duties could be imposed on these Australian imports in Canada, said Wayne Robson, the First Secretary at the Canadian High Commission in Canberra.
The trade value of the Australian imports had been set at $45-million a year, Mr. Robson said, although this figure would be subject to confirmation by a WTO arbitrator.
Canberra Times, Letters, 27 Mar 00
One way to stop salmon importsWHILE the furore rages over the imports of Canadian salmon, and there is talk of bans, penalties and a World Trade Organisation holocaust, we should not forget that the ultimate and absolute power in these matters rests with the Australian consumer. If all Tasmanians simply refuse to buy any imported salmon none of it will find its way into the Tasmanian environment to pose a potential hazard. And after the first consignment fails to sell, and has to be destroyed after passing its use-by date, there would not be many more following it.
So, come on Aussies. Wake up, stop whingeing, and just do something - simple, effective, and absolutely unobjectionable in WTO terms.ROGER QUARTERMAN Campbell
Canberra Times, 26 Mar 00
Fishy business in TasmaniaTASMANIA'S defiant stand against the importation of Canadian salmon is built on the possible spread of disease, the chances of which many regard as minuscule.
In standing firm on banning the import of salmon into Tasmania, that state's government is trying to protect a primary industry that is small, but among the fastest growing in Australia, against an unlikely scenario.
The Tasmanian Government and the local salmon growers argue that their industry, worth $100 million annually, could be wiped out by just one seagull.
For that to happen, the said seagull would have to eat a scrap of Canadian salmon that has come into Australia raw, and that contains one of the six known North American salmon diseases.
This scenario would have the seagull passing the pathogen on into a waterway and, therefore, into the food chain of the local salmon and trout.
Marine scientists say that just three or four bacteria have the potential to set up an epidemic with a 300sq km zone of infection.
It's a risk the Tasmanian Government and salmon growers are not prepared to take.
The Tasmanian Government, which has the support of the Liberal Opposition on the issue in Tasmania, has been accused of breaking a World Trade Organisation ruling, refusing a Federal Government directive to back down, acting against an Australian Quarantine Inspection Service report that found little or no risk of disease being passed on, and acting above Federal quarantine rules which are above state quarantine rules.
If the State v Federal battle finds its way into the High Court, the debate may well examine whether Tasmania is restraining trade in that it is acting against a memorandum of understanding agreed to in 1995 in which the states handed over the right to negotiate quarantine issues in world trade forums. The Tasmanian Minister for Primary Industry, David Llewellyn, believes that, because under the memorandum of understanding the Federal Government agreed to consult with states fully and in this case that hasn't happened, the Tasmanian Government has grounds for a challenge. On top of the battle of Federal v State rights, which is looming, is the threat of a trade war between Australia and Canada.
If Canada retaliated, it could target Australian beef, sheep, sugar, fruit and even Blundstone boots made in Tasmania -- exports worth tens of millions of dollars to Australia.
The executive director of the Sheepmeat Council of Australia, Peter Klein, said his members export produce worth about $25 million to Canada.
The beef industry fears it could lose up to $4 million if Canada were to retaliate.
Canada is now being accused of having double standards.
Late this week the claim was made that Canada had, in fact, refused to allow imports of Tasmanian salmon eggs because of Canadian claims the eggs were diseased.
Peter Boden, the director of Springfield Fisheries in Scottsdale in Tasmania's North East, says that Canada has been refusing his eggs for at least five years, despite his hatchery being certified disease-free for the past 25 years, the longest of any salmon hatchery in the world. [Go to story in Launceston Examiner]
Boden says that the Canadians' other argument against accepting the eggs, is that salmon grown from eggs he produces may mix with Canada's wild salmon strain.
Boden says the CSIRO had carried out genetic tests on his eggs and they were found to be the same as Canada's wild stock, minus any disease.
It may be drawing a long bow but critics of Canada's stand also point to its 1995 action against Spanish vessels fishing in international waters off Canada's east coast.
In a bitter dispute over fish stocks in water outside Canada's legal territorial limits, Canadian vessels chased and fired on a Spanish fishing boat.
Canada later justified its action, which included the deployment of gunboats to guard the disputed waters against Spanish trawlers, saying it was trying to conserve threatened stocks of one of the last commercial species, the Greenland halibut, in the region.
Is Tasmania's stand so different? All Tasmania is trying to achieve is the protection of a disease-free industry that is one of that state's few prospering exports.
TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT MEDIA RELEASE
David Llewellyn, MHA
Minister for Primary Industries, Water and Environment
Friday, 24 March 2000
CALL FOR FEDERAL SUPPORT
The Tasmanian Government says it is time the Federal Government began supporting its efforts to keep disease out of the state.
Minister for Primary Industries, Water and Environment, David Llewellyn, said the Federal Government had agreed to work more closely with the States on quarantine issues at a recent meeting of Agriculture Ministers, but was not living up to that agreement.
"We have made it clear that we are not going to back-down on this issue because it is too important for both our environment and our salmon industry," said Mr Llewellyn.
"The Prime Minister John Howard has also acknowledged that Tasmania’s disease-free status is a national asset.
"The Federal Government must now get behind Tasmania and pursue the option of regional zoning on the issue of imports of diseased fish."
Mr Llewellyn said he had today received a letter from Mr Truss asking the State Government to remove the ban.
Mr Llewellyn said the State Government completely rejected Mr Truss’s comments that there were deficiencies in Tasmania’s draft Import Risk Analysis.
"We will be considering the letter from both a technical and legal point of view before responding."
Ban must remain
Mercury, 23 Mar 00 (precis)It is Tasmania's obligation to continue its raw salmon import ban, even if it risks offending the World Trade Organisation. Tasmania's salmon remains disease fee, unlike that of the Canadian industry. This disease-free status gives Tasmania's salmon industry a commercial advantage and is useful for promoting the state's recreational inland fishery sector.
Premier rejects trade backlash
The Age, 23 Mar 00 (precis)The Tasmanian Premier, Mr Jim Bacon, has dismissed the chance of trade retaliation by Canada over raw salmon imports
"The only part of the Australian market that Canadian salmon cannot come into is Tasmania," Mr Bacon said.
"They do now have access to what would be over 95 per cent of the Australian market, and I frankly think that should satisfy them."
Sugar producers in Queensland yesterday expressed concern about a $200 million market in Canada.
Mr Bacon again insisted the ban would stay. "We have the quarantine order in place and it will remain in place," he said."In the same way as we do not let a single orange come into the state because of fruit fly, we will not let a single fish come into the state from diseased areas."
The Tasmanian Government claimed to have been deluged with calls in support of its stand yesterday, and Mr Bacon said he was confident the Australian people would understand and support Tasmania's position.
"I think the Australian people are becoming more and more concerned, and rightly so, about the impact of some of these international decisions," Mr Bacon said.
"Apart from being grossly unfair they have very little regard for the particular circumstances of regional Australia."
Tasmania is continuing to argue for a regional approach to quarantine.
"Australia and the Commonwealth Government need to take an approach as other countries do, of saying that certain zones or regions of their country, for particular disease reasons, have different standards," he said.
WTO DSB establishes two new panels, adopts salmon and FST reports
MAR 23, 2000, M2 Communications - The Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), on 20 March, established two new panels: "Argentina - transitional safeguard measures on certain textiles products from Brazil" (DS190) and "US - Anti-dumping measures on certain hot-rolled steel products from Japan" (DS184).
Both panel requests were being considered by the DSB for the second time.
At the same meeting, the European Communities presented a further status report on implementation in the "banana" case (DS27). The EC said that there continued to be divergent views within the main parties concerned and that as a result, no agreed conclusions had been agreed yet. Many Latin American countries took the floor to complain about what they said was the lack of implementation by the EC.
Likewise, Japan presented a status report on implementation on "measures affecting agricultural products" (DS76). Japan and the United States said that are holding consultations on this matter and that they expected a mutually satisfactory solution in the near future.
In the case concerning "anti-dumping investigation of high-fructose corn syrup" (DS132) with the United States, Mexico informed the DSB that it would implement, within a reasonable period of time, the DSB's recommendations. The report was adopted by the DSB on 24 February.
The DSB adopted the panel report on "Australia - Measures affecting importation of salmon, recourse to Art. 21.5 by Canada" (DS18) concerning Australia's implementation. Both Australia and Canada said they aimed to reach a mutually acceptable solution. The DSB also adopted the reports of the Appellate Body and the panel on "United States - Tax treatment for Foreign Sales Corporations" (DS108). While the EC expressed its satisfaction at the conclusions of the reports, the United States said that this outcome unjustifiably discriminated between Members on the basis of their tax systems.
The next meeting of the DSB will take place on 7 April 2000. The agenda of the meeting will be available from 28 March onwards.
(M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com).
ALP cold on salmon stand
Australian Financial Review, 24 Mar 00 (Precis)( This appeared during an FT.COM search and is being confirmed)Tasmanian Premier, Jim Bacon, is maintaining his position on salmon imports. Bacon has refused to follow the demands of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) concerning the salmon imports. The Australian Labor Party (ALP) has indicated it may allow the passage of legislation designed to override Tasmania on the issue.
Canada's salmon egg ban "very fishy"
Hobart Mercury, 23 Mar 00 (precis)Canada has been blamed of hypocrisy for its ban on Tasmanian salmon eggs. The country has been refusing imports from Springfield Fisheries since 1995. The ban comes despite the fishery being certified disease-free since 1975. Director Peter Boden estimated the Canadian import market to be worth $A200,000 a year. Australian Agricultural Minister Warren Truss is still waiting for Tasmania's ban on raw imported salmon to be lifted. The World Trade Organisation has declared the ban illegal, a decision the Australian Government will not appeal against. Tasmania is at risk of retaliatory sanctions totalling $A45m, but Primary Industries Minister David Llewellyn has refused to lift the ban. [Go to Canberra Times version of this story.]
Farmers fear disease will kill off industry
The Australian, 22 Mar 00 (ABIX abstract)
Atlantic salmon have been introduced from Canada into Tasmania for breeding stock over the last 30 years. But this will not stop Tasmania's salmon farmers from insisting that the flow should stop in March 2000. President of the Tasmanian Salmonid Growers Association Tony Smithies was showing National Party MPs around Tasmanian salmon farms from a tour boat south of Hobart on 21 March. Seeing a sandwich fall from a tour boat was enough to convince Smithies you can never be too careful. While Australian grown Atlantic salmon have some of the diseases that occur elsewhere, there are 23 dangerous bacteria and viruses that have never been seen in Australia.
Canberra braces for salmon blow
By DON WOOLFORD and ANDREW DARBY
HOBART
The Age, Wednesday 22 March 2000
The Federal Government is bracing itself for trade retaliation after Tasmania moved to turn its temporary restrictions on imported raw salmon into a permanent ban.Tasmania's Primary Industries Minister, Mr David Llewellyn, yesterday confirmed that the state's defiance of the Federal Government and the World Trade Organisation would continue indefinitely.
The move followed Canberra's decision early yesterday not to appeal against the WTO's ruling that Australia has to open its markets to Canadian salmon.
Mr Llewellyn said he was acting to protect Tasmania's $120 million salmon farming industry and native salmonids in its rivers from the risk of disease from imported salmon.
He said the temporary ban on salmon imports would be extended for another 60 days while consultations were held on the form the permanent measure would take.
The argument broke out when a WTO disputes panel backed Canadian claims that there were still unreasonable restrictions against its fish.
The federal Trade Minister, Mr Mark Vaile, said the Federal Government had decided not to appeal against against the WTO ruling.
The WTO has specifically rejected Tasmania's ban, which Mr Vaile said threatened other Australian industries as well. "They run the risk, if maintaining that ban, of retaliatory action," he said.
Tasmania's Premier, Mr Jim Bacon, said the Federal Government would have to take Tasmania to the High Court or introduce national overriding legislation, if it wanted Tasmania to change. "The law is on our side," Mr Bacon said.
Canada, while declining to be drawn into domestic politics, said the Tasmanian ban remained an issue. But the first secretary at the Canadian high commission in Canberra, Mr Wayne Robson, said he hoped that retaliatory measures by Canada, authorised by the WTO, would be avoided by further talks with Australia.
The Federal Government will ask Tasmania to reconsider its ban, which is supported by the Opposition and Greens. But federal sources conceded that the appeal probably would go unheeded.
Federal officials were angry and frustrated by Tasmania's defiance. One senior source said it would make Australia "look like idiots" in the WTO.
The executive director of the Sheepmeat Council of Australia, Mr Peter Klein, said Canada had indicated that Australian lamb - with sales there worth about $25 million - could be a target for retaliation. The beef industry fears it could lose up to $4 million should there be retaliation.
- with AAP
TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT MEDIA RELEASE
David Llewellyn, MHA
Minister for Primary Industries, Water and Environment
Tuesday, 21 March 2000
CANADIAN COMMENTS WELCOMED
The Tasmanian Government has welcomed comments from the Canadian High Commission that it is not looking for a trade war with the state.
Minister for Primary Industries, Water and Environment, David Llewellyn, said the issue of banning Canadian salmon was not a trade issue but was a quarantine matter based on the threat of disease.
"The Canadian High Commission has indicated Canada would only increase tariffs or impose other trade barriers against Australia as a last resort," said Mr Llewellyn.
"The First Secretary of the Commission, Wayne Robson, says Canada’s objective is to regain access to the Australian market for uncooked salmon, not to limit trade with Australia.
Mr Llewellyn said the market for Canadian salmon in Tasmania was very small, perhaps in the hundreds of dollars or a few thousand a year at the most.
"I don’t believe it would justify retaliatory action," said Mr Llewellyn.
Mr Llewellyn said the Federal Government had effectively weakened Australia’s quarantine levels today through its decision not to appeal the WTO ruling.
"The Federal Government’s decision to accept a reduced Agreed Level of Protection is irresponsible and we will fight to ensure our quarantine levels are maintained, not just for our salmon industry but also for our threatened and endangered endemic salmonid related species," said Mr Llewellyn.
"We cannot compromise on this issue and risk our environment and a significant Tasmanian industry.
"Tasmania’s stringent State quarantine measures will remain in force to prevent the entry of diseased fish."
Mr Llewellyn said the current protection order had been extended for a further sixty days, during which time new measures would be introduced based upon Tasmania’s own Import Risk Analysis.
Further Information:
Tasmanian Government Communications Office
Phone: (03) 6233 6007
Llewellyn ready for court battle as Tassie extends ban
The Mercury, 22 Mar 00By GEORGIA WARNER
TASMANIA'S battle against salmon imports yesterday threatened to spill over to the High Court after the Federal Government refused to defend the state's stand against the World Trade Organisation.
Federal Trade Minister Mark Vaile announced early yesterday there would be no appeal against the WTO ruling that Tasmania's ban on raw Canadian salmon breached trade laws.With Canada threatening retaliatory sanctions of up to $45 million – and footwear manufacturer Blundstone just one of the companies on its hitlist – the Commonwealth yesterday wrote to the State Government, demanding the ban be dropped.
Primary Industries Minister David Llewellyn responded by extending it for another 60 days.
A permanent veto will be put in place during this time.
Mr Llewellyn said he was extremely disappointed by Mr Vaile's decision but would not back down.
He said the Commonwealth had two choices. It could try to override the ban with legislation that probably wouldn't pass the Senate, or it could take Tasmania to the High Court.
"We will fight this right down to the end," he said.
"We believe we have a justifiable legal position constitutionally.
"The Solicitor-General advises me we are on strong ground."
Australia has now run out of time to fight the WTO ruling but Mr Vaile said the risks of an appeal far outweighed any possible benefits.
He said it could have invited a cross-appeal by Canada and put many of the WTO findings that were in Australia's favour at risk.
The WTO ticked off on 10 of Australia's 11 import requirements for raw salmon that were above international standards and challenged by Canada. It rejected the packaging requirements for Canadian raw salmon as too restrictive.
Tasmanian Salmonid Growers Association chairman Tony Bender said: "This decision represents a major breakdown of Australia's conservative quarantine laws.
"We believe it is only a matter of time before we see increased pressure being brought to bear on a range of other commodities such as pork and fruit."
Australia and Canada have 30 days to resolve the row before retaliatory trade sanctions can start.
Mr Vaile played down fears Canadian sanctions could total $45 million, saying they had to be based on the value of the market lost.
Meanwhile, Mr Llewellyn will push for Tasmania to get special WTO sanctioning for its ban, based on the state's disease-free status, precedents for which he said had already been set in several foot-and-mouth-free zones in Africa and South America.
The Australian Democrats and federal Labor Party yesterday supported Tasmania's stand, making it doubtful federal overriding legislation would pass the Senate.
Liberal senator Paul Calvert said he would cross the floor to support Tasmania on the issue and expected his federal Tasmanian colleagues to do the same.
FISH IMPORTS A DILEMMA FOR FREE TRADE
Editorial, The Australian, 21 Mar 2000The likely battle between the Tasmanian and Australian Governments over the importation of raw Canadian salmon raises difficult questions. Australia has more to gain from the free trade of agricultural goods than most countries and exports $A18 billion in food each year. The importance Australia attaches to the issue is shown by its leadership of the Cairns group of agricultural nations and it was formed to lobby the World Trade Organisation to reduce barriers to agricultural exports. While the Australian Government is expected to comply with the ruling, Tasmanian Premier Jim Bacon said he will ban the Canadian salmon imports under quarantine regulations. He is putting Australian exporters at risk of Canadian retaliation in March 2000.
CANADA FAILS TO RETALIATE AGAINST AUSTRALIAN SALMON BAR
Asia Pulse, 21-Mar-2000 12:00:00 amCANBERRA, March 21 Asia Pulse - Canada had not flagged retaliatory action after a World Trade Organisation (WTO) finding against Australia's salmon import restrictions, officials said today.
Rural industries feared Canada could impose damaging tariffs on beef and lamb exporters if Tasmania did not reverse its decision to ban Canadian salmon entering the state.
But government officials said Canada did not raise retaliation during a meeting of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials and Canadian representatives last week in Ottawa.
"We advised them (the Canadians) of ongoing contact between ourselves and the Tasmanian government encouraging them to bring that measure into conformity as well," an official said.
"Until we bring those two matters into conformity there is a right to retaliation from Canada.
"Last week in Ottawa we didn't talk about retaliation at all.
"The Canadians never raised that particular issue with us.
"We were concentrating on the findings of inconsistency."
The federal government today urged Tasmania to reconsider its ban.
Trade Minister Mark Vaile and Agriculture Minister Warren Truss are urging the Tasmanian government to conform to national quarantine measures to ensure appropriate trade outcomes for Australian industry.
Australia could ask for arbitration if Canada decided to take punitive action, but the federal government was instead focusing on encouraging Tasmania to fall into line with national standards, he said.
"We have had a number of discussions with the Tasmanians and ministers have also been in contact with the Tasmanian government and that process is continuing," the government official said.
Quarantine officials said the risk analysis process under which Tasmania argued its case for a continued ban did not meet world standards.
"In our assessment the draft at least of the Tasmanian risk analysis wouldn't stack up in WTO terms," an official said.
Officials could not provide any more details on the likely impact of retaliatory action on Australian industry, given there was no previous similar cases to study.
Australia had not discussed compensating the Canadians, but that option remained, he said.
"The capacity remains for Australia to offer compensation in the form of tariff concession in other products if we are unable to bring ourselves into conformity with the WTO but we haven't had any discussions yet with the Canadians about that." ASIA PULSE