Gene Ethics fully supports WA Premier Alan Carpenter’s call today for labels on all Genetic Manipulated (GM) foods and for all GM food approvals to stop while these unsafe foods are fully safety tested.

“We back Premier Carpenter’s call for labels on all GM foods and for Food Standards Australia NZ (FSANZ) to stop all approvals of GM foods until conclusive safety tests are done to prove they are safe to eat,” says Gene Ethics Director Bob Phelps.

“We join the Premier in calling on all Australian governments - through the Health Ministerial Council - to swiftly meet the public’s rights to safe food and to know a food is GM.

“All governments must back the WA call for basic changes to the present GM food standard. (more…)

(joint media statement from the the WA Premier and the Minister for Agriculture and Food)

Premier Alan Carpenter has called for better labelling of foods that contain Genetically Modified ingredients and an immediate halt to the approval of all GM foods in Australia until more is known about the safety of eating them.

Mr Carpenter said Australia’s national food regulator, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), should not approve any more foods for human consumption until it introduced independent scientific trials to determine the safety of GM foods.

“I find it unbelievable and unacceptable that the national food regulator relies principally on the say-so of the GM companies when assessing GM foods as safe to eat,” he said. (more…)

“In the wake of the developer donations scandal surrounding the Government, this is most definitely not the time to be lowering standards of accountability and transparency,” said Upper House Greens MP Ian Cohen.

Questions were put to Ian Macdonald in Parliament about whether or not he would take action, if it emerged that a member of his expert committee advising him on GM issues had failed to declare a direct or indirect pecuniary interest.

“Minister Macdonald twice dodged my questions yesterday and today on conflict of interest at a time when debate rages in the community about exactly who will benefit from the legalisation of GM food crops in NSW. (more…)

The latest victim of poor governance in NSW is the state’s clean, green agricultural reputation. It is now legal to grow commercial quantities of genetically modified canola in NSW.

“The biotech companies will be the only winners from today as the GM horse bolts out of Parliament House,” said Upper House Greens MP Ian Cohen.

“The Canadian experience demonstrates that Bayer and Monsanto will rake in over 90% of the profits from the introduction of GM canola by selling their herbicides and from collecting maximum royalties and crop technology licence fees. (more…)

“The lifting of bans on Genetically Modified crops today in Victoria and New South Wales will threaten Australia’s clean, green reputation and cost farmers huge amounts of money,” said Senator Rachel Siewert.

“The evidence from the Gene Technology Regulator last week in Senate Estimates indicated very clearly that there was not a national segregation system in place and farmers and consumers would be left to pay the price of contamination.

“The ban is being lifted today, but they have no way to ensure that non-GM crops using trucks, silos and handling facilities that have stored and transported GM crops are not contaminated,” said Senator Siewert.

“This will threaten our premium markets. (more…)

The Rudd government should override the Victorian and NSW governments’ decision to lift the ban on genetically modified canola crops, Greens leader Bob Brown said today.

“This is a nation-changing decision being made by two state governments. It has huge ramifications across Australia - the
Constitution ensures that there can be no confinement of the GM produce to the states involved,” Senator Brown said.

“Australia’s premium status as a GM-free food producer is being sabotaged by Premiers Brumby and Iemma. The Constitution, including its corporations power, enables Mr Rudd to override them, and so he should,”
Senator Brown said.

The Rudd government should override the Victorian and NSW governments’ decision to lift the ban on genetically modified canola crops, Greens leader Bob Brown said today.

“This is a nation-changing decision being made by two state governments. It has huge ramifications across Australia - the
Constitution ensures that there can be no confinement of the GM produce to the states involved,” Senator Brown said.

“Australia’s premium status as a GM-free food producer is being sabotaged by Premiers Brumby and Iemma. The Constitution, including its corporations power, enables Mr Rudd to override them, and so he should,”
Senator Brown said.

(letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, with a similar letter also sent to The Age)

The decision by the NSW and Victorian premiers to lift the ban on genetically engineered canola is a tragedy for both consumers and the environment, and the rationale of Ian MacDonald that NSW farmers can now compete on a level playing field with overseas farmers because GM canola now accounts for 70 per cent of the global canola market is staggering in the extreme.

What this decision does is remove the capacity for Australian farmers to realise premium prices for and corner the market on non-GE canola, highly sought after by an increasingly large Asian and European market, not to mention a growing number of consumers here in Australia. And as for GE canola needing fewer pesticides and herbicides, this is a furphy, given that farmers can and have used more chemicals because the canola remains unaffected, so every time a weed comes up, it’s out with the spray pack. (more…)

In the wake of a decision announced today to lift the blanket ban on GM food crops – specifically canola - NSW Greens MP Ian Cohen will move a motion in the NSW Upper House tomorrow in an attempt to protect farmers who want to remain GM free.

“The Greens intend to fight tooth and nail to protect farmers who want to exercise their choice to remain GM free,” Mr Cohen said. (more…)

Greens MLC Mark Parnell has introduced a private members bill into the SA Upper House to protect farmers who want to remain GMO free.

“The Greens want the moratorium on GM crops to continue.  But if that is ever lifted, we intend to fight tooth and nail to protect farmers who want to remain GM free,” Mr Parnell said.

The Greens Bill, the Genetically Modified Crops Management (Right to Damages) Amendment Bill 2007, will enable a person who suffers damages as a result of genetically modified plant material contaminating their land to sue companies promoting and selling the technology. (more…)