Vietnam stops importing Australian cherries and grapes.

From January 2015, Vietnam will stop issuing import licenses for fresh fruit worth approximately AUD 40 million due to food safety concerns.

Due to food safety concerns related to fruit fly germs found in fresh fruit imported from Australia, many countries, including Vietnam, have stopped issuing import permits for fruit from that country.

The Australian Department of Agriculture (DoA) has confirmed this information from Vietnam. The DoA's announcement warns that the ineffective pest control system is likely to impact Australia's agricultural exports in 2015.

Alan Bramble, CEO of Caernarvon, a cherry exporter, said the news wouldn't significantly impact the company's exports this year, but it was bad news nonetheless.

Michelle Christoe, CEO of the Australian Agricultural Exporters Association, argues that the Department of Agriculture has failed to make sufficient efforts to open up markets and has lost a number of export markets, including many grape export markets.

“Round red grapes are Australia’s most exported grape variety to Vietnam. The situation is terrible as we’re losing the markets in Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and now Vietnam,” said Christoe.

The fruit fly has cost Australia A$300 million due to the loss of its fresh fruit export market.

According to VOV