When the University of Western Australian posted this Media Statement on its website, it exposed the Federal Governments long term agenda to introducte genetically modified crops into Australia.

It seems that government funding has been channeled into the development of GE or GM crops for 15 years, although these crops were banned.

The Howard Government has never been open to acting on independent studies on the consequences of introducing genetically modified crops into Australia’s farming sector.

This media statement should ring alarm bells for all Australians.

 

Media Statement

Thursday, June 14, 2007

GM MORATORIUM LIMITS LUPINS

When the current moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops is lifted, The University of Western Australia (UWA) has GM lupin lines with superior seed quality and yield readily available for wider testing and evaluation in the WA grainbelt.

According to UWA Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis Director, Professor Craig Atkins, sustaining cereal production through rotating legumes drove the UWA GM lupin breeding program, which commenced in 1992.

“We developed a very successful genetic engineering program for narrow-leafed lupin, including herbicide (Basta®) and bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV) resistant varieties,” he said. 

Full statement  

 

 

Posted Mon Aug 20, 2007 2:23pm AEST

ABC News Online

Federal Labor’s primary industry spokesman Kerry O’Brien is accusing Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran of promoting one side of the genetically modified (GM) canola argument.

Mr McGauran released a report on GM crops this month and is pushing state governments to drop their bans on GM canola.

Senator O’Brien says Mr McGauran ignored sections of the report referring to consumer resistance, divisions in the farming community and weed problems.

He says Mr McGauran is setting up another argument with the states.

"There is also the question of whether the markets are going to be there for our product or whether there’s any advantage to the extra expenditure that’s spent in getting a higher value for the crop that’s grown," he said.

"All these issues have to be dealt with, this is something to be dealt with dispassionately, not in the heat of an election campaign for political advantage."

Mr McGauran says lifting the bans will put choice on GM technologies in the hands of farmers.

He says he acknowledges the report was not all positive, but he says most farmers are in favour of GM technology.

"The problem for Senator O’Brien is he’s walking both sides of the street, he doesn’t support nor oppose GM, I think the political cowardice after all these years and all of the data and evidence available not to make a decision, you’re either for the commercial release or you’re not, so long as all the safeguards are in place," he said.

Posted Tue May 29, 2007 12:39pm AEST

ABC Online   

The Organic Agriculture Association is urging dairy farmers to oppose the lifting of a moratorium on genetically modified canola.

The State Government is conducting a review on the moratorium due to be lifted early next year.

The Organic Association’s Robin Grant says once the ban is lifted no-one will be able to stop the G-M crops spreading to non-GM properties.

And she says the invading crops will be resistant to conventional weed killers.

She says evidence of canola spread can be seen along railway lines in Victoria’s cropping belt.

"The amount of canola that is along those railway lines if you go there in October when it’s flowering you’ll just see that they can’t control these crops," she said.

"The agricultural weeds that are on our roadsides now, they just can’t control it, they won’t be able to control it."

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.