Australia
March 2, 2007
GM canola is finding ready
markets
Genetically modified, or GM,
canola is finding ready acceptance in international markets at
prices very similar to those received for conventional canola,
according to a new research report by
ABARE.
The report, Market Acceptance of GM Canola, was released today
by Phillip Glyde, Executive Director of ABARE.
The report examines acceptance of GM canola in world markets.
Concerns about acceptance led to moratoriums being imposed by
State governments on the commercial production of GM canola in
Australia’s key canola producing states.
‘The report found that, in the traditional import markets for
canola — Japan, Mexico, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh — GM
canola is generally accepted as readily as conventional canola
and is priced at very similar levels,’ Mr Glyde said.
‘Despite perceptions of resistance to GM grains in world
markets, countries that are producing GM varieties of soybeans,
corn, cotton and canola dominate the world export trade in these
grains’, Mr Glyde added.
‘For example, virtually all Canada’s export canola is considered
to be genetically modified, but this has not stopped its exports
reaching record levels in 2006, more than doubling since GM
canola was introduced in Canada in the mid 1990s,’ Glyde said.
Canada accounted for more than 70 per cent of world canola seed
trade in the three years to 2006.
Mr Glyde also pointed to the already wide use of products from
GM crops in the domestic Australian market, particularly with
domestically produced GM cottonseed and imported GM soybean
products, and suggested that GM canola will generally be
accepted by food manufacturers and consumers in Australia’s
domestic market.
In releasing the report, Mr Glyde acknowledged funding under
Australia’s National Biotechnology Strategy.
Full report:
http://www.abareconomics.com/publications_html/crops/crops_07/GM_canola.pdf
RELATED RELEASE
Source: Australian Ministry
of Agriculture
GM fears are a
myth
Australia’s traditional export
markets for canola accept genetically modified (GM) canola just
as readily as conventional canola – and pay a similar price for
both.
Welcoming the release today of the
ABARE report Market acceptance of GM canola, Minister for
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Peter McGauran, said the
report found that GM canola was being accepted in markets
throughout the world and non-GM canola did not appear to be
attracting a price premium.
“Fears about GM canola have proved
unfounded and consumers around the world now accept it to be a
safe food ingredient. As a result of this, Australian growers of
non-GM canola are not receiving any overall premium,” Mr
McGauran said.
“The analysis conducted by ABARE
concludes there is nothing to support the concerns that
unintended presence of GM canola in other grain exports,
particularly wheat and barley, would adversely impact on trade.
“As well as debunking the myths of
price premiums and the disruption to wheat and barley trade,
ABARE has shown there is no basis to the fears expressed that
products derived from animals fed GM feed would suffer in the
marketplace.
“The report also confirms that
Australia, like many other countries including those within the
European Union, is already a large consumer of GM products.”
Australian-produced GM cottonseed
is used as oil for human consumption and as protein meal for
animal feed.
The use of GM feed rations from cotton, along with imported GM
soybean meal, has had no negative impacts for Australia’s
livestock industries.
“Worldwide acceptance of GM is
clear. GM crops are now grown by more than 10 million growers in
22 countries,” Mr McGauran concluded.
Market acceptance of GM canola can
be found on the ABARE website:
www.abareconomics.com
Other news
from the Australian Ministry of Agriculture |
