An independent panel led by former federal Health Minister Neal Blewett delivered the Review of Food Labelling Law and Policy 2011 to the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Catherine King on Friday. Dr Alan Barclay, an accredited practicing dietitian and nutritionist, chief scientific officer for the Glycemic Index Foundation Ltd and head of research at the Australian Diabetes Foundation said that the recommendations are “a mixed bag”. Dr Barclay agreed with the reiteration... ...Read more »

A West Australian organic farmer is in limbo, awaiting state government test results and facing genetic manipulation giant Monsanto’s legal wrath. Steve Marsh’s organic farm has been decertified over GM canola contamination from a neighbour’s farm.Monsanto revealed today that it would give legal support to the GM grower if Mr Marsh sought redress for his losses through the courts. “For years we called for Farmer Protection laws because GM contamination was inevitable once... ...Read more »

The Centre for Plant Functional Genomics has not applied to the Office of Gene Technology Regulator for a licence to research or trial salt tolerant rice. Yet the centre wildly claims that genetically manipulated (GM) rice ‘offers hope for the global food supply’.  ”Without an application to the regulator, this research can only test an idea in the most basic way and is decades away from any commercial application,” says Gene Ethics director Bob Phelps. “The reality... ...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 »

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 »