Some months ago grain and beef producers from Victoria met in Canberra with cattle, sheep, cotton and grain farmers from NSW and Queensland to talk about issues associated with producing genetically modified (GM) foods.
The farmers knew the benefits of GM cotton and were frustrated with state bans preventing the planting of GM canola and other GM food crops, and after the meeting they formed a loose network called the Producer's Forum.
They are up against the Network of Concerned Farmers (NCF) which opposes GM food crops here and has campaigned hard against GM canola. They have insisted that there must be proven procedures for segregating GM and non-GM product.
Perhaps it was this concern that drove the CSIRO to mix small quantities of GM canola with several truckloads of regular canola to determine levels of detection as detailed in Alan Dick's story "Alarm at NSW GM Trial" (The Land, August 4, pg. 9).
The NCF has insisted that these types of tests, but promptly put out two media releases claiming alarm and concern.
The first claims Australia could lose its status as a producer of GM-free canola because of the trial -- then goes on to suggest that these types of trials are important!
Confused? It gets worst.
The lobby group is concerned GM canola for the trial not come from overseas as "this would show how vulnerable farmers are to sabotage".
The release also states GM canola used in the trial should not be grown here because if this happened the "federal government would have deliberately broken a State law".
I suggest we just grow GM canola and, like the Canadians, sell it un-segregated. Europe has imported unsegregated soybeans from the USA for years.
Indeed, most of the world has been eating GM soy and canola for years and 35 percent of the vegetable oil consumed in Australia is from unsegregated GM cotton seed. The only people who really seem concerned are Greenpeace and the NCF.
Meanwhile, members of the Producer's Forum want timely access to agricultural biotechnologies for the economic, social and environmental benefit of all Australians and to promote informed discussion and decision making.
This won't be easy given the current level of misinformation.
Readers interested in the forum's activities can contact info@producersforum.net.au.
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