Australia
December 23, 2008
Source:
Agrifood Awareness Australia
Limited
The Western
Australian government’s announcement to allow GM canola in
2009 builds on the recent GM cotton decision and will provide
growers with the opportunity to assess new plant varieties which
deliver sustainability benefits.
“Today’s announcement reflects the science and the facts that
approved GM food and fibre crops are an important tool in
meeting our agriculture and food production challenges,” said Ms
Paula Fitzgerald, Executive Director, Agrifood Awareness
Australia.
“108 farmers in New South Wales and Victoria have grown
Australia’s first GM canola crop this year and are reporting
positive results including better weed control and increased
yields,” she said.
“Western Australian growers will now have the opportunity, 13
years after their Canadian competitors, to assess these new
varieties for their own farming systems,” she said.
“Growers in WA have been growing herbicide resistant canola for
years, but these new varieties developed with the assistance of
gene technology, will provide new opportunities, particularly
increased yields of canola, a greater choice of weed control
options, and the use of more environmentally friendly
herbicides,” she said.
The Australian grains industry has long recognised the
requirements of all customers. With regards to GM canola, the
industry has demonstrated its commitment to delivering choice
through the statement entitled ‘Delivering market choice with GM
canola’.
In the statement, major participants in Australia's grain supply
chain, including CBH, the PGA and WA Farmers, committed to
introduce GM canola in a manner that:
• Maintained or enhanced trade in Australian canola
• Enabled market choice along the supply chain
• Would be open and transparent
• Provided confidence to all stakeholders, including customers,
consumers and governments.
“The industry’s capacity to meet market requirements and deliver
choice is well recognised, and the Western Australian
government’s appreciation of the value in adopting this
technology is to be acknowledged,” she said.
The key GM facts
- Globally, in
2007, 114.3 million hectares of GM crops were
planted around the world, by 12 million farmers
in 23 countries, representing a 67-fold increase
since the new varieties first became available
in 1996.
- Gene
technology in Australia is regulated by the
Federal Office of the Gene Technology Regulator
(OGTR).
- All GM foods
must undergo a rigorous safety assessment by
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)
before they can be sold in Australia.
- GM cotton has
been grown in Queensland and New South Wales
since 1996. These varieties are insect
resistant, herbicide tolerant or a combination
of both.
- GM cotton,
accounting for over 90 per cent of the industry,
has delivered an 85 per cent reduction in
pesticide use, reduced fuel use, enhanced
water-use efficiency and minimised cultivation,
which in-turn reduces the carbon footprint.
- Over 85 per
cent of the Canadian canola crop is now sown to
GM varieties and these have been marketed to
Japan, China, Korea, Bangladesh and other
south-east Asian markets.
- 108 farmers
planted Australia’s first GM canola crop in NSW
and Victoria this year. They are reporting
better weed control and increased yields.
- A recent
Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) report
supports earlier
conclusions from Charles Sturt and Melbourne
Universities that GM canola can provide
growers with higher yields and a greater choice
of weed control options including more
environmentally friendly herbicides.
- The Australian
grains industry has long recognised the
requirements of all its customers. With regards
to GM canola, the industry has committed to
delivering choice through its statement “Delivering
market choice with GM canola”.
|
Agrifood Awareness Australia
Limited (AFAA) is an industry initiative, established to
increase public awareness of, and encourage informed debate and
decision-making about gene technology. AFAA is committed to
providing quality, factual, science-based information on the use
of gene technology in agriculture to allow for informed
decisions.
Agrifood Awareness Australia Limited has three founding members:
-
CropLife Australia
-
Grains Research and Development Corporation
(GRDC)
-
National Farmers' Federation
(NFF)
The organisation's activities are also supported by the cotton
and sugar industries, the
Grain Growers Association
and through a project partnership with the red meat industry.
|
|
