The Australian Banana Growers’ Council (ABGC) has strongly opposed this proposal, saying imports are unnecessary and would create unacceptable risks for the industry. The banana industry is worth $1.3 billion annually, supporting more than 540 growers and 18,000 jobs. The federal government will hold information meetings with banana growers in October in Northern Queensland and Northern New South Wales. The next steps in the review process involve a technical, science-based assessment visit to the Philippines to assess conditions on the ground. Following the technical visit report, the next step is the release of an issues paper to industry in the first half of 2026.