On October 19 Biosecurity Australia released a draft import risk analysis (IRA) report into the matter, and is currently reviewing submissions. The draft IRA found that if pineapples were to be imported from Malaysia, they would be subject to a number of strict quarantine conditions.

Tropical Pineapples is a company which represents 25 farms and supplies about 50 percent of the fresh pineapple market in Australia.

Col Scott is agronomist for Tropical Pineapples, and also sits on the industry advisory committee which liaised with Biosecurity Australia during the draft IRA process.

Mr Scott said if Malaysian pineapples were to be allowed into Australia, it could destroy the industry.

He said the Malaysian pineapple industry had a bacteria which caused two diseases; bacterial heart rot and fruit collapse, both of which are not yet found in Australia.

The pineapple industry submitted a response to the draft IRA on December 19, to which Biosecurity Australia is yet to respond.

"We are just asking Biosecurity Australia to restrict the entry for the time being, until more research and science has been done into the bacterial disease," Mr Scott said.

"There has been very little research done on it and what research has been done has indicated there is no known control."

Australia currently allows imports from four countries; Sri Lanka, the Soloman Islands, the Philippines and Thailand.

Tropical Pineapples chief executive officer Derek Lightfoot said his company was not against importing pineapples.

"We're not trying to fight imports as a blanket ban, just imports from Malaysia because of concern over this bacteria," he said.

"If it was about competition we would want to ban all imports. It is about respecting the seriousness of this threat."