Farming groups have called for a lifting of the State Government’s moratorium on the commercialisation of genetically modified crops following a new economic study into regulation of the technology.
Farming groups have called for a lifting of the State Government’s moratorium on the commercialisation of genetically modified crops following a new economic study into regulation of the technology.
The study, released by the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics, suggests that failure to commercialise transgenic crops now and in the near future could, by 2015, cost the country $3 billion in gross national product.
Under current moratorium legislation associated with the Genetically Modified Crops Free Areas Act 2003, the only GM crop permitted to be grown in WA is cotton.
The Federal Government introduced the Gene Technology Act in 2000 and the Gene Technology Regulations in 2001. It also established the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator to make decisions under the act. All activities involving the growing of transgenic crops in Australia are subject to regulation under this act and regulations.
WAFarmers president Trevor De Landgrafft called for the establishment of a high-level advisory committee to advise the State Government on GM crops.
While there was no doubt GM technology had the potential to increase production in Western Australian crops, he said, the political red tape was stacked against GM proponents,
“There is so much misinformation bandied about out there. We want a panel of eminent scientists in the field, community and industry representatives with some authority to advise the government,” Mr De Landgrafft said.
A spokesperson for Agriculture Minister Kim Chance said the Government was in the process of implementing a community consultative committee to provide advice on the risks and issues associated with GM crops, including segregation, cost of development of separate supply chain, contamination, legal liability and marketability.
The committee is likely to include representatives from the community, including farmers, consumer groups, grain handlers, marketers, the university sector, environmental interests and an independent chair.
Pastoralists and Graziers Association Western Grain Growers chairman Leon Bradley said such a committee had already determined the need for GM crops in WA.
Mr Bradley said that the Western Zone of the Gene Technology Grains Committee, of which he was a member, had “resolved all the issues” surrounding GM commercialisation.
Author of the ABARE study, Stephen Apted, said while there were obviously a range of political issues surrounding the development of GM crops, his study aimed to isolate the economic scenario.
“It’s an issue that’s important to a lot of people. ABARE’s role is to look at the economic aspect,” he said.
The report emphasises that, given the future of GM crops looks assured, preventing the commercialisation of transgenic crops in this country means that Australian producers will receive a reduced benefit from their crop.
“This will manifest itself as reduced market share and reduced profitability for Australian producers,” Mr Apted said.
WA produces about a third of Australia’s exported canola, the most likely candidate for GM approval in the state.
Traces of GM canola produced by US-based company Monsanto were recently found in national variety trials in WA. Similar incidents have occurred in other states.
