Assistant Minister for Finance, Craig Emerson, has fired a shot at some of his State Labor counterparts, by calling for a rational, science-based approach to assessing the role of genetically modified crops. [...] In his keynote address at last week’s CropLife Australia 2008 Perspectives Conference, Dr Emerson told members of the crop protection and crop biotechnology industry that there was a new push for dogma and superstition to prevail over fact and reason.

Australian farmers have urged authorities to consider the use of genetically modified animals for meat, milk and fish after US authorities this week unveiled guidelines to regulate the controversial technology. [...] Sheep Meat Council of Australia president Chris Groves said while the practical application of the technology for livestock was ”a long way off”, it would be rash to disregard the technology because of ill-founded fears. He said any decisions on GM foods needed to be based on ”sound science, not on somebody’s scare campaign”.

The Tasmanian Greens today said that the decision by Roberts to discontinue selling canola seed into the Tasmanian market was a clear signal that contamination of canola seed in Australia was a real issue for other states and that the biotech companies who promote Genetically Engineered crops and boast that GE crops and seeds can be securely segregated have misled the producers and consumers of Australia. Greens Shadow Primary Industries spokesperson Kim Booth said that the upside of Roberts withdrawal was that there was a clear market opportunity for Tasmanian growers to become a hub of GE-free canola seed production

More Australian chefs have signed an agreement to not use genetically modified food, with Canberra chefs the latest to join Greenpeace’s national campaign. It follows a Newspoll study which found 90 per cent of consumers want better labelling of food products. It is also prompted by the first commercial crops of GM food in Australia, glyphosate tolerant canola which is being grown in NSW and Victoria.

Australian farmers signing up to grow genetically modified canola are exposing themselves to ”onerous” obligations, an international law expert says. Duncan Currie says the contract between biotechnolgy firm Monsanto and GM canola growers bars farmers from selling their land to anyone without a Monsanto licensing agreement. Monsanto described the claim as ”ridiculous”. The contract, obtained by The Canberra Times, shows that if the land is sold up to two years after the agreement expires, contractual obligations are passed to the buyer, who could be liable for the former owner’s contract breaches.

Incoming agriculture minister Terry Redman says a cautious approach must be taken towards the introduction of genetically modified food crops in WA, acknowledging that consumer concerns remain over the controversial technology. The Nationals MP also cautioned key broadacre farmer groups who are pushing for commercial GM canola trials by next year that the time frame was ambitious. [...] Mr Redman, who will be sworn in as agriculture minister next week, said adequate segregation systems for GM and non-GM grains needed to be in place before commercial trials took place.

Ninety per cent of Australians want all genetically modified (GM) products labelled, according to a recent Newspoll poll. Further, the majority of Australians are less likely to buy food they know contains GM ingredients. According to the poll, when asked if food products from GM crops and animals fed with GM feed should or should not be labelled, 90% of the respondents said they should be labelled. Only 2% of the respondents said they would be more likely to buy a product if they knew it contained GM ingredients, as opposed to 54% who said they would be less likely to buy it.

FUNDING for research on a genetically engineered virus to control toads has been cancelled for fear it could also wipe out native frogs. The Federal Environment Department withdrew funding for the CSIRO research because its long-term feasibility was questionable and because it faced a major hurdle in being approved for release. [...] Prof Alford said immediate results on small-scale toad control were available for low-tech but community friendly methods such as better trapping that greatly reduced numbers. ”We’ve tripled the catch rate simply by playing back toad calls at a trap,” he said.

WORD about genetically modified (GM) plants didn’t take long to surface at the International Lupins Conference in WA this week. Strawberry (west Mingenew) farmer Clancy Michael [...] left no doubt that GM lupins was the key to the future. ”There is a compelling case for the development of a glyphosate-tolerant lupin compared to developing similar technology in other crops such as canola and wheat,” he said. Mr Michael said the lupin industry needed a plant that is highly tolerant to a broad spectrum herbicide such as a glyphosate-tolerant variety.

WA’s major farming groups are pushing for trials of genetically modified canola under a new government, but opponents warn that unleashing the controversial technology will ruin the State’s clean and green image. The farming industry is expecting a more lenient stance from the new government to test the technology and ultimately produce commercial GM crops in WA. ”Industry will be looking to engage in discussions with this government where as they saw absolutely no way forward with the Carpenter Government,” the chairman of industry body AusBiotech, Ian Edwards, said.