Central Otago apple growers are "flabbergasted" Australia will allow Chinese apples into that country while New Zealand pipfruit is still banned.
Otago Regional Fruitgrowers Committee chairman John Webb, of Cromwell, said the decision smacked of a double standard.
"I'm flabbergasted. It seems to me a slight bit of hypocrisy going on somewhere in the camp."
The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service this week decided to allow Chinese apple imports, subject to conditions, despite industry opposition on biosecurity grounds. A Senate inquiry into biosecurity for Chinese apples is ongoing.
New South Wales farmers said the ruling put Australia at risk from the devastating effects of a Chinese fruit fly, which had spread rapidly through the United States, Canada and parts of Europe.
New Zealand and Australia have had a long-running dispute about non-tariff trade barriers being used to block New Zealand pipfruit access into Australia. New Zealand apples were first banned in 1919 and efforts to gain access throughout the 1980s and 1990s were unsuccessful.
In 2006, access was permitted, with conditions so strict that exports would not be economically viable.
New Zealand took a complaint to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2007 on the basis Australia was using non-tariff trade barriers to block New Zealand pipfruit exports. In April this year, sources said the WTO's draft report on the matter rejected Australia's defence. A final report is expected to be released later this month.
Mr Webb said it seemed Australia could "bend its rules" to accommodate fruit from China, which had more serious biosecurity issues than New Zealand.
"It seems that the mighty, like China, have more sway than this country. Everyone wants to snuggle up to China. Australia is important to New Zealand as a market, but we're not important to them."
Ettrick apple grower Con van der Voort said China meant far more to Australia than New Zealand did.
"Australia and China are in bed together."
Australia had no reason to block New Zealand apples, he said.
"We export a lot of stuff into Australia and you'd think, being neighbours, they'd take more consideration of this country wanting to do business with them."
Last week, the Chinese Government agreed to lift requirements to survey Tasmanian apples for European canker and fireblight.
Pipfruit New Zealand chairman Ian Palmer was not surprised about the Chinese fruit access to the Australian market. He said an Australian import-risk analysis on the Chinese apples had been completed and the fruit was subject to a range of conditions to meet import requirements.
"The Chinese have accepted those conditions and so the fruit is allowed into the country. The Australian pipfruit industry appealed that decision but their appeal was overturned."
Mr Palmer was waiting for the WTO report on the dispute between New Zealand and Australia, due by the end of July.
"Then, if the rumours are true [about the contents of the draft report], then we will know where we are and what processes we have to go through and what any remaining issues are."
