Category: Archive

Tuesday, 6 February 2007: You might blame the dog for eating your homework, or a traffic jam for being late to work. But if you ever find yourself facing a multimillion-dollar class action lawsuit for contaminating the world’s number one food crop with an unapproved genetically engineered variety, just do what biotech company Bayer does. Blame God!

Yes folks, it seems that according to Bayer, God hasn’t been dealing with the big issues lately. Instead of answering millions of prayers, stopping wars or ending famines, God has left all the important things to gather dust in the heavenly inbox whilst ensuring Bayer’s unapproved variety of genetically engineered (GE) rice goes forth and multiplies around the world instead.

According to documents submitted to the court by Bayer, last year’s massive contamination of US rice with an unapproved, experimental variety of rice called LL601 was due to ‘acts of God’ or the rice farmers themselves.

Pushing the blame onto the rice farmers is no surprise, as the farmers are the ones suing Bayer for millions of dollars of lost income. The price of US rice plummeted last year, immediately following the discovery of the GE contamination in rice exported to Europe and Japan, where consumer resistance to Bayer’s less-than-divine intervention in their food is strong.

Full article

Tell the your State Minister that GM crops is an election issue – for you

The Australian state governments of New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria are under pressure from the Howard Federal Government and the biotech industry to lift bans on growing genetically modified (GM) food crops, like GM canola.

All have announced panel inquiries into whether the GM bans are necessary. Yes, they are!

Email or write to your State MP, letting them know that you are against GM products and you consider this to be a federal election issue. With enough response from the public, they’ll be sure to pass the news onto Kevin Rudd and cohorts. 

The current legislation for states and territories are:

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has introduced a moratorium on the commercial release of GM food crops in the ACT until 2006+. The moratorium will be reviewed annually. The Health Minister has indicated that the ACT will continue to support licensed, scientific research into genetically modified organisms (GMOs) being conducted in territory.

Katy Gallagher, MLA
Deputy Chief Minister; Minister for Health
ACT Legislative Assembly
GPO Box 1020
Canberra ACT 2601
gallagher@act.gov.au

The New South Wales (NSW) Government has banned GM food crops until 2008. It has not banned GM cotton, which has been grown commercially in Australia since 1996, and will allow any GM crop field trials to continue at the discretion of the Agriculture Minister.

The Hon. Ian Macdonald,
Level 33 Governor Macquarie Tower,
1 Farrer Place,
Sydney NSW 2000
macdonald.office@macdonald.minister.nsw.gov.au

The South Australian (SA) Government has implemented legislation to establish a moratorium on GM crops until 2008. The Bill does provide for exemptions to allow field trials to continue under specific conditions.

Hon Rory McEwen MP
Minister for Agriculture, Food & Fisheries
GPO Box 668
Adelaide SA 5001
minister.mcewen@state.sa.gov.au

The Tasmanian Government has extended its moratorium on the commercial release of GM crops and animals in Tasmania until 2009. Provisions for research trials using GM non-food crops continue to be strictly enforced, for example GM poppy field trials have continued in the state despite the moratorium

David Llewellyn
Minister for Primary Industries and Water
GPO Box 123B
Hobart TASMANIA 7001
No email address!

The Victorian Government has implemented a moratorium until 2008, with the Control of Genetically Modified Crops 2004 Bill passed in May 2004. The Bill specifically prohibits the commercial planting of GM canola.

Joe Helper
Minister for Agriculture
PO Box 175
Maryborough VIC 3465
 joe.helper@parliament.vic.gov.au

In December 2003, the Genetically Modified Crops Free Areas Bill 2003 was passed by Western  Australian Parliament, and in March 2004, the Premier declared the entire state of Western Australian a GM free area.
A review of the operation and effectiveness of the Act is to be conducted in 2008.

The Hon Kim M Chance MLC
Minister for Agriculture and Food
11th Floor, Dumas House
2 Havelock Street
West Perth WA 6005
kim-chance@dpc.wa.gov.au

Both the Queensland and Northern Territory Governments support the national gene technology regulatory scheme and have not implemented any further legislation.

The Victorian moratorium on GM canola was introduced in March 2004 to protect farmers from the inevitable financial losses that would result from the introduction of GE canola. It is currently due to expire on February 29, 2008, unless a new moratorium order is introduced.

However, there is a strong push in the Victoria’s State Labour government, notably from  Agriculture Minister, Joe Helper, who wants to lift the moratorium on genetically engineered (GE) canola. The announcement was plastered across the front page of the Sunday Age in May 2007, leaving many people choking on their cornflakes. Response was a huge public backlash which left the Sunday Age letters editor drowning in letters from angry consumers.

Joe Helper issued a speedy retraction the next day, in which he promised to consult with business. He later amended this statement and promised to consult the community as well! This was followed by the announcement on 22nd May of an ‘independent’ panel to review Victoria’s moratorium on the commercial planting of GE canola.

Full article http://www.truefood.org.au/news2.html?mode=aust&newsid=354

Other GM news stories on ebono.org:

Row brewing over GM canola moratorium

War of words erupts over GM canola

WA university set to spread GE crops

What’s `Genetically Engineered’ all about?  Here are the basics

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CROPS = GM, GMO or TRANSGENIC

Patented DNA is in the pollen.  When contaminated, Canadian & US farmers are liable to Monsanto.

Genetically engineered (GM) crops are not about feeding a starving world; they are about controlling our food supply with patents and chemicals.  We have never before been crossing one species with another like plants and animals and making the offspring fertile.  The real contamination in Australia with patented DNA has just begun.

Canada is almost completely contaminated with GM pollen.  Weeds are now resistant to Roundup and farmers must use stronger chemicals; sold by Monsanto.  See: National Farmers Union of Canada ‘Top ten’ at www.nfu.ca.

When chemical companies own our crops because of the contamination by their patented DNA, they will design crops to grow only with their own chemicals.  Chemical companies must sell chemicals, and drug addicted plants are the perfect way to do it.  In the end, would a chemical company design plants that did not need their chemicals?

What You Can Do              

Make your support for extending the moratorium known

Only buy GE free products

Find out as much as you can about the issues around GE crops :

http://www.onestopgreenshop.com.au

http://www.iancohen.org.au/issue.aspx?id=42

http://www.dnaalert.net/

by Janet Grogan 14 July 2007
Green Left Online

Three years after extending its moratorium on the commercial growing of genetically modified (GM) crops, the Victorian ALP government appears poised to remove the ban when it expires in February 2008.

State agriculture minister Joe Helper believes that Victoria is now “open-minded” about GM crops and a “careful and considered approach” will be used to determine the impact of GM crops on the market before a decision is made.

Farmers’ groups are split. The National Farmers Federation (NFF) has been lured by promises of increased yields for less expense, but the Network of Concerned Farmers sees an erosion of choice for non-GM farmers, with up to 10% additional costs to cover segregation bills alone. The United Dairy Farmers of Victoria voted on June 19 to reverse their support for Victoria’s ban on commercial GM canola. In response, consumer groups say that they will vote with their feet and choose non-GM soy or organic alternatives if the ban is lifted.

…

If Victoria does remove its ban, the pressure will be on other states to follow. In WA, there is a push to make GM cotton exempt from the moratorium. Opponents see it as a Trojan Horse that will serve to pave the way for GM canola and other crops.

In WA, the Say No to GMO campaign has brought together the Conservation Council of WA, the Organic Growers Association and the Network of Concerned Consumers. A petition asking that the GM moratorium be extended 10 years beyond 2008 has gathered almost 4000 signatures and was recently tabled in parliament.

This type of consumer-led resistance is evident across the country. As Phelps explained, “The citizen campaign to keep Victoria GM-free is even stronger since the turnaround as their foolish decision is based on empty promises about the profit potential of GM canola”.

With outstanding issues to consider such as segregation, contamination, liability, labeling, consumer rejection, health, environment and economics, one has to wonder why we are even having this debate. 

Full article  

Moratorium on GM crops hurts WA, say Libs

by Ben Spencer, 15th August 2007, 6:00 WST

The State Government was hopelessly out of its depth in refusing to lift its ban on genetically modified crops, the Opposition said yesterday, as Agriculture Minister Kim Chance accused GM proponents of ignoring consumer sentiment in pushing their cause.
  
Just days after a Federal Government report found GM technology posed no danger to human health and could help farmers battle weeds and crop diseases, Upper House Liberal MP Barry House moved to increase pressure on the State Government to lift its ban, telling Parliament there was compelling evidence that GM crops were safe.

Full article on WA News