CANADIAN farmer Peter Eggers believes continued research into genetically modified wheat is a waste of time. ”There’s not a market in the world that has said it will accept GM wheat, so why are we wasting all this money?” His compatriot Matt Gehl said the push towards GM reflected the desires of the seed companies rather than the growers. ”They are looking for things they can patent and make a profit from.” Mr Gehl was concerned the recent swing back into GM wheat research would come at the expense of breeding conventional wheat varieties

Financial ruin and loss of organic agriculture will be part of the future Australia if genetically modified crop trials continue, according to Canadian farmer Peter Eggers. Mr Eggers is facing similar consequences on his Alberta property after first trialling GM canola in the 1990s. Aside from providing no financial gain, he said the initial trial had left him unable to produce the crop organically. “That is impossible,” he said. “Once the cat is out of the bag, it’s hard to get her back in.”

WHILE other food crops have faced considerable hurdles in both public and industry acceptance of genetically modified products, the ”GM bogey man” has seemingly not raised his head when it comes to bananas. [...] ”We’ve had no push back at all, which has been wonderful,” [Prof James Dale] said. In January last year, the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator authorised the QUT’s application for controlled release of 151 lines of genetically modified banana at Litchfield Municipality, Northern Territory.

ONE of the world’s richest men has made a top-secret visit to Cairns to find out how his genetically modified crop of bananas is going. Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, slipped into the Far North last Saturday for a brief meeting with five scientists from the Queensland University of Technology. The scientists, who have $10 million backing from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, have been developing a genetically modified banana plant at Innisfail capable of resisting a devastating disease.

THE case against two Greenpeace protesters who destroyed government approved trials of biotechnology wheat crops at CSIRO in Canberra on July 14 has been adjourned until January 23 next year. [...] Julian Schimmel of Maurice Blackburn Lawyers confirmed the two Sydney women Jessa Latona, 34, and Heather McCabe, 47, were not required to appear in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday where the case was mentioned and had yet to enter a final plea.

For NSW growers, culinary beans are expected to bring a premium of $50/t to $100/t over the crushing price, while the organic price indication is as much as $800/t. [...] “The growth for Australia will be in export markets if we get a decent crop this year, and while we have solid Asian custom which is demanding non-genetically modified soybeans, we have to be competitive with what is coming out of Canada and the US,” Mr Morgan said.

Australia is heading at breakneck speed towards the commercialisation of genetically modified wheat. According to CSIRO, 2015 is a realistic date. This means within five years, consumers face the possibility of eating genetically modified bread, whether they like it or not.

THE country’s largest bakery chain has ruled out using genetically modified wheat in its bread even though trials of the product are still in progress and it would be at least four years before it could be used in Australia. Bakers Delight has ruled out using genetically modified wheat after a sustained social media campaign by Greenpeace, to force a company response. [...] A Bakers Delight spokeswoman said the company had never used any GM products in its bakeries and it had never intended to use GM wheat in its bread.

GRAINS industry members are on red alert amid fears Greenpeace is planning another publicity stunt - timed to coincide with the start of harvest - to protest the use of genetically modified crops. [...] Sources were concerned Greenpeace had secured Roundup Ready test strips, which they directed for delivery to WA, but were unaware exactly what the test strips may be used for. But they believe attention may be focussed on a recent “contamination” incident in Cunderdin after hail storms battered crops in the area.

“Countries with large populations, including nations like India and China, have assessed options for providing enough food in a world increasingly limited by resources such as land, water and fertiliser,” she says. “And they’ve concluded that if the choice is between eating and starving, they’ll accept genetically modified crops.” [...] Recently, Gready and her team of researchers have had a breakthrough in photosynthesis improvement, which involves looking at reaction pathways in the chloroplasts of plants, and it all comes down to one small, powerful enzyme – Rubisco. [...] ANU and Gready have recently struck an agreement with Bayer Bioscience to develop the technology. The agreement allows for royalty-free licences to international and national agricultural bodies that develop food crop varieties for subsistence farmers in developing countries.