The ABGC alleges that there were a number of significant deviations from Biosecurity Australia’s Import Risk Analysis process which adversely affect the interests of Australian banana growers.

The ABGC also alleges that a significant body of scientific information relevant to the outcome of the IRA (namely information about the dispersal of black Sigatoka spores) was not considered.

The 600-page report released on 12 November cited 21 pests and diseases in the Philippines being of quarantine concern to Australia but concluded the risk factors could be reduced to acceptable levels if risk-management measures were put in place.

ABGC Imports Committee chairman Len Collins said because all of the potential risk management measures for key pests would need to be enforced on farms in the Philippines, he had no confidence in the decision by BA to permit imports.

"The Philippines does not have a quarantine culture. It is a disturbing thought that the Import Risk Analysis (IRA) proposes putting Australia’s quarantine security in the hands of Philippines banana companies," Mr Collins said.

ABGC chief executive officer, Tony Heidrich, said there was virtually no detail in the report about how the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) would effectively ensure that exporters complied with the potential quarantine conditions.

"It is a known fact that AQIS had problems monitoring compliance with quarantine conditions for a range of pests and diseases in Australia – including Equine Influenza – let alone in a country where systemic graft and corruption are a way of life," Mr Heidrich said.

"AQIS must state on the public record exactly what quarantine conditions will be put in place, how they will be applied and what checks and balances will be established to monitor compliance in the Philippines."

The ABGC welcomes recent confirmation that the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs Committee has established an inquiry into the decision, with hearings scheduled to take place in Canberra on Tuesday 24 February and Wednesday 25 February 2009.

The Senate helped expose errors in earlier IRA reports, including gross underestimations of pest and disease risks, and errors in the modelling used to calculate those risks.

Mr Collins said it is some comfort to know that Senators will again probe the decision.