by Professor John Lovett
The Crop Doctor
The Grains Research & Development Corporation's Managing Director

Since its inception, genetic modification has attracted plenty of attention for its potential benefits and its perceived risks to producers, consumers and the environment.

Despite the controversy which this leading edge science has generated, it is clear that inserting genetic material into plants to develop specific traits would benefit growers by slashing years off the traditional process of selection and crossbreeding for crop improvement.

Making its input to the debate is the federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia, which recently released the brochure "Agricultural Biotechnology – What is Happening in Australia?"

It states that agricultural biotechnology is well established in Australia and could potentially provide benefits for human health, the environment and rural industry economic viability. Genetic engineering, as such, is a logical next step.

However, the Australia New Zealand Food Association Standards Code requires that all genetically modified (GM) foods undergo a mandatory assessment to ensure their safety for human consumption before being offered for sale in Australia.

Already, foods or food ingredients derived from GM crops have been approved for use in Australia, including insect resistant corn and glyphosate resistant soybean, corn and canola. At this stage, however, all of these food ingredients are sourced from outside Australia.

Last year Australia had the world’s fifth largest area of GM crops under cultivation, with 0.2 million hectares (world GM crop area is 22 million hectares).

A further 16 GM crops have been approved for field testing in Australia and it is expected some of these will be commercialised in the next five years.

While the Australian public still has reservations about GM foods, their profile may strengthen as consumers see the benefits from such foods.

Appointments last month by the Federal Government of three very respected Australians to chair national bodies concerned with GM matters indicates that the issue is gathering status and momentum.

Appointed were: Professor Stephen Powles, Director of the GRDC-supported WA Herbicide Resistance Initiative at the University of WA (Chair, Gene Technology Technical Advisory Committee); former Governor General Sir Ninian Stephen (Chair, Community Consultative Committee) and Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Tasmania, Professor Donald Chambers (Chair, Gene Technology Ethics Committee).