GM levels of one per cent, theoretically just over the adventitious presence (AP) levels of 0.9pc set by the Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF) for standards for non-GM canola were found in samples at GrainCorp’s sites at Dunolly, in Central Victoria and Lillimur, in the west Wimmera. However, as these tests were found in 500-tonne running grade samples done by GrainCorp, and the bins storing the canola held 2000 tonnes, and the other three 500 tonne samples done in the same bin tested negative for GM presence, it took the AP levels back down to 0.25pc, well below the AOF’s 0.9pc prescribed standards for presence of GM material.

A VICTORIAN grain marketer is tapping into the Japanese public’s desire for non-GM canola by putting together a package of the oilseed that it has been able to sell at a premium. [...] ”The sale of non GM canola as a premium product is yet another innovative alternative for our growers. ”This sale will give growers a premium of up to $5 over and above other canola sales,” said Mr Fleay.

WA’S Clayton’s moratorium on GM crops looks set to stand after the reviewer of WA’s Genetically Modified (GM) Crops act found no need for drastic changes to the legislation. Former WA Parliamentary Counsel Greg Calcutt, appointed to review submissions and prepare a report for Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman, recommended only minor improvements to the scheme.

CANOLA growers in the Murchison area have claimed a victory, with GrainCorp reversing a decision to designate their silo as a receival site solely for genetically modified canola. Members of the Murchison East silo committee, who grow non-GM canola, told The Weekly Times last month that they would face a $7 per tonne penalty to deliver their canola into the GM bin. Their alternative was to deliver to Dookie or Elmore, which are further from port and would have lead to higher freight rates.

On November 18, 200 people rallied outside the Western Australian parliament to protest against the introduction of genetically modified crops. The state government will decide next year whether to permanently lift the ban on GM crops. [...] Anti-GM campaigner Doctor Maggie Lilith presented statistics from the recent review of the moratorium on GM. She said 89% of submissions called for the moratorium to be kept and even strengthened.

Australians are deeply divided over genetically modified crops, with almost a third believing they are risky and another quarter unsure of their safety. The latest ANU Poll, issued exclusively to The Canberra Times, also finds Australians believe the nation’s farmers produce safe food sustainably and ethically, and there is strong support for giving them extra financial help.

Monsanto has pulled its commercial development application for high lysine LY038 corn, originally intended only as feed for animals, after the European Food Safety Authority questioned the safety studies already conducted by the company and used by Food Standards Australia New Zealand to approve the GE corn in 2006. Rather than conduct additional research as the European authority requested, Monsanto decided to abandon its bid to introduce the corn to the European market.

Since the release of the first Greenpeace Truefood Guide in 2003, more than half of Australia’s top food brands have committed to non-GE policies, with Foster’s, Nestlé, Schweppes and Lindt now implementing non-GE ingredients policies for their Australian brands. ”The 2010 Truefood Guide is the biggest guide ever, as the Australian food industry answers consumer calls for GE-free food,” Greenpeace GE Campaigner Rochelle Porteous said. ”It is the only comprehensive shopping guide that empowers Australians to avoid GE ingredients.”

Concerns that canola may become contaminated with the genetically modified (GM) variety are falling on deaf ears, a non-GM farmers group says. The Network of Concerned Farmers says it’s worried that non-GM canola being stored alongside GM varieties in silos in Victoria, NSW and Western Australia will be at risk of contamination.

GENETICALLY modified wheat and drought-tolerant corn and cotton could be on the cards for Australia. Monsanto Scientific Affairs Asia senior director Dr Harvey Glick said drought-stress tolerant corn and cotton would be available by 2012. ”The plants will be able to withstand a moderate amount of drought, which Australian farmers face pretty much every year,” Dr Glick said.