Just when exporters are coming under threat from abroad, they are also apparently facing disability from within the country. They have been hit by Quality Control Orders (QCOs), a new instrument which combines the worst of policy’s protectionist, non-transparent, discretionary and micro-management instincts. This would be a costly combination at any time, but now is a particularly bad moment to make life more difficult for exporters. The QCOs must be eliminated urgently.