Three European grain traders, AgroTrace, Holtermann and Eurograin, have sent a letter to WA Premier Colin Barnett stating that they will not buy Western Australian grain if GM canola is grown. The letter, dated February 26, directly addresses the WA government’s motion to exempt Monsanto’s Roundup Ready® GM canola from restrictions on GM crops, which passed last month by a narrow margin. A copy of the letter was sent unsolicited to GM-free group Gene Ethics last weekend. “Without... ...Read more »

Western Australian farmers will now be able to plant genetically modified canola crops, after a disallowance motion by the Western Australian Labor Opposition failed last week. The hotly-debated motion was opposed by WA Labor and Greens, and attended by protesters and lobby groups from both sides. Two Liberal Members, South Perth MLA John McGrath and Southern River MLA Peter Abetz, threatened to cross the floor after pressure from their electorates over health and safety concerns. Mr Abetz identified... ...Read more »

Australians remain uneasy about eating genetically modified (GM) foods, according to research from Swinburne University. The University’s fifth National Science and Technology Monitor found most people well informed about GM but still very mistrustful of the institutions that commercialise GM foods. “A major target of public mistrust is Monsanto, the world’s biggest seed company that owns patents on over 90% of all commercial GM soy, corn, canola and cotton crops that are grown,”... ...Read more »

New South Wales Primary Industries Minister, Ian Macdonald, has advised that higher food prices over Christmas can be expected if rain is not forthcoming over the coming fortnight. Mr Macdonald yesterday said that the drought situation in the state remained alarming despite a slight improvement in the latest drought figures – which showed 63.9 per cent of NSW was in drought. As a result, key crops such as canola, wheat and barley are under pressure. “If we don’t get some reasonable... ...Read more »

Australian culinary icon Margaret Fulton today launched the ‘Canola Edition’ of the Greenpeace True Food Guide, which aims to help consumers avoid buying genetically engineered (GE) food products. Ms Fulton, widely renowned for her food writing, likened the major companies pushing GM (Genetically Modified) to Adolf Hitler, according to reports. The launch, at Sydney’s Bird Cow Fish restaurant, was supported by a number of leading figures in the food industry. Prominent supermarket... ...Read more »

Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke told the UN Food and Agriculture Organization overnight that he believes GM crops could play a vital role in coping with a global food shortage and climate change. The GM debate continues to be fuelled, with some arguing they are a solution to a potential crisis, while others fear they will merely create more problems. Studies suggest, however, that the majority of consumers are still to make up their mind. Greenpeace last month released a report, ‘Eating... ...Read more »

  Greenpeace has questioned the approval process used by food standards body FSANZ, with the environmental activists reporting that eight leading scientists have endorsed their new report critiquing the regulation of genetically engineered (GE) food in Australia. The report, Eating in the Dark, calls for an urgent independent review of the safety assessment regime for GE food, and for all foods derived from GE crops to be labelled. The report argues that Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)... ...Read more »

Ninety per cent of Australians want all genetically modified (GM) products labelled and are less likely to purchase such products, according to a recent Newspoll poll. According to the poll, which was commissioned by anti-GM campaigners Greenpeace, when asked if food products from GM crops and animals fed with GM feed should or should not be labelled, 90% of the respondents said they should be labelled. The 25-34 age group was the most keen for labelling of GM food (95%), with the 18-24 age group... ...Read more »

Genetically Modified (GM) crops continue to polarise opinion, with the WA Opposition indicating they will allow trials of GM canola and permit the planting of GM cotton if they triumph in September’s election. The Labor Government has, however, remained steadfast in their belief that the state should remain GM-free, with Premier Alan Carpenter indicating a moratorium on GM crops will remain if he is re-elected. “I will not, in the next term of government, allow GM crops to be grown on... ...Read more »

Gene Ethics has disputed claims by the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) that they exhibited a lack of ethics when publishing the suspected sites of GM crop farming in Victoria. Gene Ethics published a map of commercial Genetically Modified (GM) canola sites on their website on Tuesday in response to their concern about GM-crops. “Gene Ethics presents its online map of commercial GM canola sites being grown this winter as a service to the Victorian public,” claimed Bob Phelps, Gene Ethics... ...Read more »