Australians remain very uncomfortable about eating genetically manipulated (GM) foods despite government and GM industry claims of growing acceptance. Swinburne University’s fifth National Science and Technology Monitor has 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,” says Gene Ethics director Bob Phelps.

“Monsanto’s management and shareholders should be ashamed of ranking absolutely last among the 541 trans-national companies assessed by the annual Geneva-based Covalence reputation index. It is a barometer of how the ethics of big businesses are perceived throughout society. Monsanto consistently fails ethics 101. (more…)

Food Labelling Review Secretariat
Department of Health and Ageing
MDP 150
GPO Box 9848
Canberra ACT 2601

Thank you for the opportunity to make a submission on this important issue.

If this review of food labelling law and policy is genuine about considering options to (1) reduce the regulatory burden in food labelling (2) without compromising public health and safety, the Braidwood Greens believe that full and accurate labelling is essential.

In the same way that people have a right to choose whether or not they eat food containing any animal products, so should they have a right to choose whether or not they eat food containing GM organisms, or irradiated or novel foods. (more…)

Gene Ethics applauds Tasmania’s all-party joint select committee report published today which recommends that: “prohibition on the release of GMO (Genetically Manipulated Organism) food crops to the Tasmanian environment should be extended and reviewed after five years.” See: http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/CTEE/genetech.htm

“The GM ban helps isolate the rogue states of Victoria and NSW which allow Monsanto’s Roundup tolerant GM canola to be grown commercially this year,” says Gene Ethics Director Bob Phelps. (more…)

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…)

Matters arising, questions and statements… (more…)