1.Premiers sow the seeds of destruction
2.Environmental groups slam lifting of GM ban
3.Tasmanian markets want GM ban to stay: Minister
Express your feelings in this Sidney Morning Herald poll. 85% against GM crops at the moment.
http://www.smh.com.au/polls/national/form.html
LEADING EXPORTER CONDEMNS DECISION
'I'm concerned we will see a decline in the value of our product we send overseas... Economically Australia would be much better off to market all its food produce overseas - and domestically, for that matter - as a natural, clean, GM-free product, rather than give in to a couple of multinationals trying to entice a small group of farmers.'
Audio: GM decision will hurt crop business: exporters
http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/pm/200711/20071127pm03-gm-crops.mp3
EXTRACTS: 'Ending the GM bans is a national, permanent and irreversible decision as GM canola pollen and seed will cross borders... The WA, Tasmanian, SA and ACT governments agree with most Australians, that the market, environment and health impacts are not worth the promised benefits.' (item 1)
New South Wales Greens MP Ian Cohen says farmers overseas regret going down the GM path.
'It's ruined traditional farmers in Canada...' (item 2)
[Tasmania's] Primary Industries Minister, David Llewellyn, says the overwhelming feedback has been that the ban should remain. 'Consumers, food manufacturers, some farmers and indeed our markets in Japan in particular are indicating that they want the moratorium extended - not lifted.' (item 3)
QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'This is a disaster for our farmers, we will suffer contamination, increased costs of testing, increased costs of segregation and ultimately the only recourse we will probably have is through the courts.' - Scott Kinnear, of Biological Farmers of Australia
---
1.Premiers sow the seeds of destruction
Gene Ethics Media Release, November 27 2007
Premiers John Brumby and Morris Iemma are trashing Australia's GM-free advantage, by allowing the state's GM canola bans to expire. Their renegade action will commit the whole nation to GM contamination.
'The premiers' arrogance over Genetically Manipulated (GM) crops and foods ignores the majority support for GM-free among farmers, shoppers, the food industry and state governments,' says Gene Ethics Director Bob Phelps.
'Thousands of citizens supported GM-free in their submissions to the state inquiries but the reports haven't even been released. With the bans not expiring until February next year there is plenty of time for further debate on the inquiry reports.
'Hundreds of large and small businesses also support Australia's GM-free status. Goodman Fielder, Tatiara Meats and Coles Supermarket are among those who support GM-free.
'Ending the GM bans is a national, permanent and irreversible decision as GM canola pollen and seed will cross borders. The new ALP federal government should urgently convene the Gene Technology Ministerial Council (GTMC) that sets GM policy for the nation - the proper forum for deciding these GM issues. The GTMC should seek a national consensus before any ban is lifted.
'The WA, Tasmanian, SA and ACT governments agree with most Australians, that the market, environment and health impacts are not worth the promised benefits.
'Both the NSW and Victorian governments say they support a national uniform decision but are now GM rebels for Bayer and Monsanto. No governments should go it alone on GM.
'There are also many outstanding threshold issues that must be resolved before any commercial release is allowed.
'Gene Ethics will continue the public campaign to extend the ban on GM food crops until February 29, 2013, at least,' Mr Phelps concludes.
More comment:
Bob Phelps Gene Ethics 0408 195 099; Scott Kinnear Biological Farmers of Australia 0419 881 729; Louise Sales Greenpeace 0438 679 263
---
2.Environmental groups slam lifting of GM ban
ABC News, 27 November 2007
New South Wales Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald says the move will be good for the environment, because GM canola will require less pesticides than non-GM crops.
He says the failure to allow the commercial growing of GM canola has seen the state's farmers miss out on valuable export opportunities and lifting the ban will put the state's farmers on a level playing field with overseas producers.
Jock Laurie from the New South Wales Farmers Association says lifting the ban will make the state's farmers more competitive.
'There's plenty of evidence around that people who are using GM technology overseas are getting some advantages,' he said.
But Greenpeace campaigner Louise Sales says the decision to end the moratorium will actually be bad for the economy.
'The majority of consumers don't want to eat GE [genetically-engineered] food and that is the same in not only Australia but in our export markets,' she said.
'Our main export markets for canola are Europe and Japan, where consumers made it clear they don't want to eat GE food and the same is true of consumers in Australia.'
Segregation
New South Wales Greens MP Ian Cohen says farmers overseas regret going down the GM path.
'It's ruined traditional farmers in Canada, and time and time again as we see in these various places where the genetically-modified organisms have been introduced, the producers are saying 'If we had our time over again we wouldn't be going that way',' he said.
But Mr Macdonald says farmers will have to meet a number of requirements before they are allowed to plant the crops.
'Very strict guidelines will have to be put in place in terms of the segregation of genetically-modified crops from conventional canola crops,' he said.
But a canola farmer from Young in the state's central west, Juliet McFarlane, says it will be difficult to keep the crops separate.
'It's open pollinating, our fences are only netting, so it can easily hop over the fence to a neighbour's crop,' she said.
She says it would be better for the industry if Australia remained GM-free.
But the head of the Victorian Government's review panel, Sir Gustav Nossal, says he is confident GM and non-GM crops can be appropriately segregated.
'It is absolutely true that no-one can guarantee 0.0000 per cent, therefore there have to be thresholds,' he said.
'The generally accepted international threshold is 0.9 per cent, that is to say, less than 1 per cent.
'I am very confident that the industry can maintain that segregation.'
---
3.Tasmanian markets want GM ban to stay: Minister
ABC online, 27 November 2007 http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/27/2102816.htm
The Tasmanian Government says it will be much harder to maintain the state's moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops now that Victoria and New South Wales have announced they'll lift their bans on GM canola.
Those states say the move will allow farmers to compete on a level playing field with overseas producers.
The Tasmanian Government is currently reviewing the state's moratorium.
But the state's Primary Industries Minister, David Llewellyn, says the overwhelming feedback has been that the ban should remain.
'Consumers, food manufacturers, some farmers and indeed our markets in Japan in particular are indicating that they want the moratorium extended - not lifted,' he said.