Apple and stonefruit industry members went into discussions with MPI on Friday afternoon to seek an alternative to the initial MPI directive to contain and/or destroy over 48,000 apple and stonefruit plants - which was deemed unlawful following a High Court judicial review.
The industry group expects further opportunities to engage with MPI to continue discussions in the coming days, in order to avoid the need to seek further rulings from the High Court.
Justice Cooke had previously held MPI’s initial directive to be unlawful, but had issued interim orders maintaining the status quo for the plants and plant materials. These orders were set to expire at 5:00pm on Friday afternoon. Earlier in the day on Friday, a teleconference was held between the parties (the industry, MPI, and Justice Cooke) where MPI sought an extension to the interim orders.
The industry group is cautiously optimistic that a solution which is agreeable to all parties can be achieved without the need to go back to the Court.
Further information and updates will be made available as the matter progresses.
For more information;
Andrea Brady
Andrea Brady
Tel: +64 21 977 688
Email: [email protected]
