Western Australia's Agriculture Minister, Kim Chance has stepped in to allow the export of 35,000 tonnes of malting barley to China, after the application was rejected by the state's Grain Licensing Authority, ABC National Rural News posted on December 30.

The issue is a sensitive one, because Western Australia's Grain Pool has had a strong hold on the Chinese market. The Minister intervened after the New South Wales-based trader, Brooks Grain, appealed against the Authority's decision.

Mr Chance says he doesn't think the shipment will affect the Grain Pool's ability to gain a premium in the Chinese market. Look, I think they analysed the facts that were before them, I analysed the facts that were before me, we came up with different conclusions. I think you've got to point to the marginality of the decision, even though I believed on the information available to me that it was quite a clear decision, but possibly the GLA was reluctant to make that decision in this particular market because of the sensitivity around the long term relationship that the Grain Pool has with the Chinese malting market."

30 December, 2003