THE Federal Government's plan to hike food export inspection fees and implement a $40 million reform of inspection processes will go ahead next week.
The Coalition today put off its motion to disallow the move in the Senate after Agriculture Minister Tony Burke undertook to address several outstanding industry concerns.
But it has put Mr Burke on notice it will re-assess the matter when federal parliament resumes in August.
It is understood Mr Burke has agreed to personally deal with the concerns of the Australian Horticulture Exporters Association, the only food exporting body not to reach agreement with the Government on the fee/reform package.
It is understood horticultural exporters will be offered fee rebates for six months while cost efficiencies are implemented in inspection procedures.
Mr Burke will also personally take up the concerns of a number of small abattoirs who say they will face massive cost increases.
It is understood they will be offered fee rebates for up to three months.
Mr Burke has also agreed to an independent review of the new system within 12 months.
Liberal Senator Richard Colbeck said the coalition still had "considerable concerns'' with the plan, but had had "fruitful discussions'' with Mr Burke overnight about how these could be addressed.
"But we'll be scrutinising the Government's actions and be seeking to hold it to certain assurances given to us,'' Senator Colbeck said.
He said the disallowance motion had been postponed until August 20.
A spokesman for Coalition agriculture spokesman John Cobb said the coalition needed to see evidence of efficiencies and cost savings in inspection processes by that time.
"We've reserved our right to move against the plan again if this isn't the case,'' he said.
Greens deputy leader Senator Christine Milne said the Greens also had "real concerns'' about the cost impact on struggling horticulture exporters, especially in Tasmania.
But she said disallowing the plan would have disadvantaged other food export sectors who'd already reached their agreements with the Government.
Senator Milne said the Greens had brokered a deal with Mr Burke that, of the $2.5 million earmarked for the horticulture sector, half would go to inspection reforms and half would be used for rebates, spread across 12 months ``to cater for the seasonal nature of the industry and make sure no-one misses out''.
Mr Burke had agreed that a work plan for implementing inspection reforms for the industry would be available by August 1 and progress in implementing it would be reviewed by the end of November, she said.
A Greens-sponsored disallowance motion, which would seek to carve horticulture out of the reform plan, would remain on the books until Mr Burke's commitments were delivered.
Family First Senator Steve Fielding said he did not agree with deferring the coalition disallowance motion.
"These higher fees will start on July 1 and I don't think every single exporter will be covered (by the deals done with the Government,'' he said.
"This is a huge issue and I would have preferred for it to have been voted on today.''
Senator Fielding said he would have supported the coalition in voting down the fee increases.
