CUT flower growers maintain overseas countries are not fulfilling their quarantine obligations, despite increased testing of imported flowers by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service.
Media reports have claimed AQIS is now inspecting every consignment of imported cut flowers following local industry figures growing plants that overseas countries claimed had been "devitalised" - dipped in a round up solution, rendering them lifeless.
AQIS also claimed the local flower industry had failed to supply verifiable details of the origin of the propagated flowers, or the propagation techniques used, in media reports.
Devitalisation is a quarantine tool meant to reduce the risk of pest plant, insect or disease introduction.
Flowers Victoria president Geoff McGuire said AQIS had told FV it would "lift its game".
"They've said they'd review all policies and procedures, we'll wait until next season (when flowers are imported, around May)," Mr McGuire said.
"I guess we have to trust them."
FV executive committee member and Floriculture Australia owner Max Lynham said AQIS should show the results of all testing to the local industry.
"Most of the industry is aware of the fact that devitalisation is not happening correctly," Mr Lynham said.
"If they (AQIS) are not happy with our tests, then how do we demonstrate to them what's happening?"
The Weekly Times broke the issue in July 2008 when it revealed overseas countries had not been carrying out their quarantine obligations.
A source said at the time that Australia had lost control of the quarantine process when the Howard Government had entrusted the overseas countries with doing the devitalisation.
Mr Lynham said there had been no problem with devitalisation when AQIS had carried out the procedure.
The Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has been contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of publishing.
