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,... ...Read more »
The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has labelled moves by anti-GM group Gene Ethics, to place a list of names and property locations of farmers supposedly growing GM Canola on their website, as a disgrace. The map includes the property location of Victorian Premier John Brumby. VFF President, Simon Ramsay said that the release of unconfirmed maps of supposed GM Canola sites with the names of property owners was appalling. “This is a disgraceful and unsubstantiated witch hunt and shows how... ...Read more »
Australian farmers’ capacity to boost global food security has topped the agenda in talks between the UN food agency chief and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke. Mr Burke and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Director-General Dr Jacques Diouf met in Canberra on Wednesday. “Australia’s advanced agriculture sector and our position as a major agricultural exporter give us a box seat to be part of the solution to the food... ...Read more »
Scientists in the UK are calling for the Government to allow them to keep sites for GM crop trials a secret in the wake of continued vandalising of crops by protesters. Under current European Union rules the sites of GM trials are required to be disclosed to the public and this has led to most of the 54 sites used in Britain since the turn of the century being damaged at some stage by protesters. Professor Howard Atkinson of Leeds University, whose pest-resistant potato study was destroyed in June,... ...Read more »
Even though agriculture cannot be covered by an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), the Australian Government must take steps to ensure consumers can still afford basic food items, the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) warned today. “Any ETS will cause pain to businesses and households… people are slowly coming to grips with that reality,” NFF President David Crombie said. “But it could be crippling for Australia’s food production, threatening to damage our... ...Read more »
CSIRO research, underway in Central Queensland’s cattle country, is investigating whether the integration of trees, pasture and livestock into a single agricultural system will produce greater net returns for producers and the environment. The ’silvopastoralism’ system is gaining worldwide attention as a potentially profitable land-use practice, particularly following the emergence of new market opportunities such as carbon trading. CSIRO Livestock Industries’ (CLI) project... ...Read more »
Hidden environmental costs make food production more vulnerable than previously thought and food industry professionals should prepare for continuing rising food prices, a new report has shown. The report, Secure and Sustainable Food Systems for Victoria, produced by the Victorian Eco-Innovation Laboratory (VEIL), investigated the relationship between food, resources, health and the environment. The ability for Victoria to feed itself in the decades ahead has been questioned and follows similar... ...Read more »