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New attack on 'risky' banana imports
14 May 2004
Biosecurity Australia's proposal to remove restrictions on imports of Filipino bananas was criticised yesterday by another member of the expert panel that assessed the risks. Bob Paton, a policy officer at the NSW Department of Agriculture, said he didn't agree with the report and had asked that a statement be included that not all panel members agreed with its conclusions. However, no statement was included.
In March, Biosecurity Australia told a Senate Committee that the report's contents were agreed to unanimously by all members of the expert panel.
Mr Paton's key concern is the statement that diseases brought into Australia could be controlled by restricting the distribution of the bananas. He said he couldn't see how in the longer term that distribution could be controlled. Mr Paton is the second member of the risk analysis panel to disagree with the report.
Australian Financial Review, 14/5/04.
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