MAF is also very mindful of the need to reduce uncertainty and to foster an environment in which the pipfruit industry can plan for the future with confidence. Any changes that may result from this review of the pipfruit industry's regulatory framework must be prudently managed, and mistakes made by other countries or other industries must be recognised, analysed and avoided. In some cases primary and other literature and references were searched to assess and validate points made in the submissions. The submissions were summarised and analysed by one MAF staff member and then peer reviewed by two other MAF staff. The disciplinary background of the MAF team involved in summarising and analysing the submissions is in economics, management, horticultural science and law.
None have any financial or other pecuniary interest in any aspect of the pipfruit industry.
In addition, the MAF Policy team involved in the review has drawn heavily on the knowledge and expertise of MAF Policy staff in the regions. A number of these staff have decades of experience with the pipfruit industry and their input has been invaluable. The submissions as a whole constitute a very strong basis to underpin policy advice on the future framework for pipfruit export marketing. However, the limitations of the submissions, and therefore the extent to which they provide a basis for policy, need to be stated. While many of the submissions support particular options with substantial supporting analysis, some are uneven in their depth of analysis and supporting argument, and in some cases in the extent to which they clearly signal which option is supported.