EXTRACT: Only 27.6pc of farmers want to see GM grain crops introduced into Australia

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FARM POLL: Mandate ethanol, but give GM a miss
By LUCY SKUTHORP
Register, 4 October 2007
http://nqr.farmonline.com.au/news_daily.asp?ag_id=45891

[SOURCE: Rural Press National News Service, Parliament House Bureau, Canberra]

Farmers overwhelmingly want ethanol mandated in Australian fuel, according to a Rural Press survey, but more than half don't think genetically modified grain crops should be grown here.

The survey revealed 61.3pc of farmers want an ethanol blended fuel mandated by governments, while a further 20.4pc are undecided about mandating ethanol in Australian fuel.

Only 18.3pc of farmers don't want a mandate on ethanol.

Queensland farmers are the biggest supporters of a compulsory ethanol blend, with 67.5pc of farmers answering "yes" to a mandate.

The figures are interesting given the perceived opposition by the livestock sector to a mandate for fears it will push the cost of feed-grain to extremely high levels, however 52.3pc of respondents in this survey sample run cattle, and 25.9pc run sheep.

And even though more than 30pc of farmers in this survey also produce crops, more than 52pc of farmers don't think GM crops should be grown in Australia.

Only 27.6pc of farmers want to see GM grain crops introduced into Australia, while 20.4pc are not sure.

Full poll results in this week's Rural Press agricultural publications.