The Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry is keen that no more consignments of New Zealand apples destined for Australia, are rejected due to the presence of foreign material or insects.
The rejection of a parcel of apples last week, followed an inspection of fruit at a Hawke's Bay packhouse by a member of the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service, which turned up a small piece of leaf and a dead insect.
MAF says the discovery was disappointing.
But import and export standards director Tim Knox says pre-clearance inspections regularly take place for fruit and vegetables being exported to, or imported from Australia, and consignments failing because they don't meet the required phytosanitary standards, are not uncommon.
