N Zealand must prove apples pest-free

There is no schedule for resuming imports of New Zealand apples, an official of the Council of Agriculture said yesterday.

Deputy Director of the council's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Yeh Ying (葉瑩) made the remarks after Taiwan suspended imports of New Zealand apples because of a codling moth larvae found in a batch of apples that arrived at Taichung Harbor on Thursday.

The 1,029 cartons of Fuji apples from New Zealand failed a quarantine inspection.

Yeh said the council notified the New Zealand Commerce and Industrial Office in Taipei, adding that the office sent staff to investigate the matter.

"Taiwan will decide when to resume imports of New Zealand apples after reviewing its progress in the eradication of agriculture pests," she said.

Regulations concerning the handling of apples imported from countries with codling moths stipulate that the contaminated apples must be returned or destroyed.

Taiwan has temporarily suspended imports of New Zealand apples until Wellington looks into the matter, adopts measures to improve export inspections and can assure Taiwan that its apples are free of codling moths. Until such steps are taken, New Zealand apples will not be allowed into Taiwan.

Yeh noted that the codling moth lays eggs on apples and the larvae feed on the fruit, burrowing into the fruit before leaving to pupate elsewhere.

If the moth adapts to Taiwan's climate, it could cause widespread damage to apple, pear and peach crops Yeh said.

She said the US had imported a lot of tropical fruit from Central and Southern America, which had repeatedly brought Mediterranean fruit flies, resulting in damaged crops in California and Florida.

Taiwan has no Mediterranean fruit fly, but does have oriental fruit flies, which affect more than 30 fruit varieties. Taiwan's fruit must therefore be fumigated before it is exported to kill any oriental fruit fly larvae.

Statistics show that apples from New Zealand accounted for 12.3 percent of all apples imported by Taiwan last year.

Taiwan has imported New Zealand apples for more than a decade, but this is the first time that codling moths have been found, council officials said. This pest has not been found in apples from any other countries this year, Yeh said.