Urgent international action

The Australian government is proposing changes to the Gene Technology Regulations which would make Australia the first country in the world to deregulate a range of new GM techniques in animals, plants and microbes.

If the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) deregulates these new GM techniques, there will be no mandatory pre-market safety assessments, monitoring, or surveillance. Anyone from amateur biohackers, to industry, to terror groups would be free to use them to genetically modify plants, animals and microbes. Entirely new diseases and poisons could be made. And they could enter our food chain and our environment with no safety testing and no labelling. The risks are enormous and the results could be catastrophic.

Reviews commissioned by the Austrian and Norwegian governments concluded that not enough is known about the risks posed by these new GM techniques. They recommended that products derived from them require comprehensive case-by-case risk assessments.

Take action: Write an email to the OGTR opposing these proposed changes:
https://friendsoftheearthmelbourne.good.do/stopthegovernmentderegulatinggeneticallymodifiedanimals/draft-a-submission/

Friends of the Earth have provided some suggestions for points you can make, which you can put in your own words for maximum effectiveness.

You can participate in this action whichever country you are in. Given the global nature of the food system, if these products are deregulated, we could all end up eating risky "hidden GM" foods.

Thanks for your support and please forward this mail to any contacts you think may help.