Comments Off on Do not abandon South Australia’s farming future
Members of the South Australian Upper House who have declared they will support the motion by Greens MLC Mark Parnell to disallow farmer access to GM crops should reconsider their position before they vote this afternoon.
South Australian Labor and SA-BEST are claiming that the government has exploited a loophole in legislation by introducing regulations which will allow GM crop cultivation on mainland South Australia.
This is not a loophole. This is an entirely appropriate adherence to the process of legislation – legislation that was introduced under a Labor government in 2004.
The regulation measure chosen by government also enforced the most extensive community consultation process, in which the majority of people supported the GM ban to be lifted on mainland South Australia.
These parties have been misled by Mark Parnell who has conveniently used a claim about incorrect parliamentary process to be the front for his anti-science, anti-GM agenda.
The community is looking for politicians to make decisions of substance, not to watch them play politics with process.
It is disappointing that petty politics are being put ahead of policy to progress South Australian agriculture and science.
Any member of the South Australian Upper House who is genuinely committed to environmental sustainability, science and farming should reject the disallowance motion and get on with the important job of delivering better solutions for the state.
Comments Off on It’s time to put the environment and farmers above politics
CropLife Australia and the Australian Seed Federation have launched the SA Farmer Choice website to further raise awareness in the hope that common sense and science prevails in the GM debate in the South Australian Parliament this week.
The two organisations are calling for South Australian farmers to be unshackled from anachronistic regulations and have the choice to access agricultural technologies that will assist with drought and a changing climate.
CropLife Australia Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Cossey, said, “All farmers need access to sustainable solutions, like genetically modified crops, to assist with the challenges of drought and climate change. South Australian farmers are still being denied that choice.
“GM crops enable farmers to reduce carbon emissions, use pesticides more sustainably and protect the soil through no-till farming. GM crops are beneficial for farmers and the environment. Matters of proven science should be above politics and we’re calling on the South Australian Parliament to allow GM crop cultivation on mainland South Australia.”
A motion introduced by Greens MLC, Mark Parnell, to disallow the South Australian Government’s regulations that will allow GM crop cultivation in the state, will be voted on this Wednesday 27 November.
General Manager of the Australian Seed Federation, Osman Mewett, said, “For over a decade, South Australian farmers have been denied the ability to choose from the full suite of tools that have been available to their competitors in neighbouring states. They have been farming with one hand tied
behind their back.
“The GM moratorium has restricted growth and innovation in the state’s agricultural sector. It has denied South Australian farmers access to innovative breeding technologies and new crops both now and in the future, and it has banned the transport of GM seed across the state.
Mr Mewett concluded, “The science is clear and conclusive. It’s time to put the environment and farmers before politics and give South Australian farmers the choice.”
In this challenging time of drought, and with a changing climate only going to make farming harder, South Australian growers need access to every available safe and effective technology that can assist them to farm in a more environmentally sustainable way.
CropLife Australia has today commended the South Australian Select Committee for their work in reviewing the Moratorium on the Cultivation of Genetically Modified Crops in South Australia. The plant science industry is pleased that the removal of the moratorium received more support from Committee members as opposed to delaying its removal for several more years or keeping it altogether.
While the report contains differing views regarding agricultural biotechnology, the scientific evidence and real-world experience of GM makes it clear that is now is the time to lift the GM moratorium on mainland South Australia.
It is important to remember that the price premiums South Australian growers have enjoyed on their produce are due to their high-quality products, not because of the GM moratorium.
This has been conclusively proven by multiple independent reports and reviews, and in practice by farmers across the rest of mainland Australia where GM crops are grown. The GM crop moratorium has had a cumulative cost of $33 million to the state’s canola industry over 2004-2018, with no tangible trade or marketing benefits.
Removing the GM crop moratorium on mainland South Australia will not have any impact on price premiums.
GM crops currently being trialed and developed could help South Australian farmers combat environmental stresses such as drought, acidic soils, salinity and frost, and provide health benefits to consumers with products such as fortified cereals, healthier starches and oils modified to be lower in saturated fats and with improved cooking qualities.
South Australia has a long and successful history in research and development of plant breeding innovations. Aside from the direct benefits to the state’s farmers, lifting the moratorium will boost agricultural research within South Australia, leading to the production of new crop varieties specifically designed for the South Australian environment and major environmental benefits.
GM crops are as safe for human health and the environment as their conventional counterparts and provide significant environmental benefits. GM crops are the most analysed and tested food technology in human history.
For over 20 years, approved genetically modified crops have been grown in Australia and around the world, resulting in 183 million hectares of land being saved from full tillage cropping. This has led to improved water storage, significant reduction in soil erosion and native forests being saved from becoming agricultural production land. GM crops are responsible for savings in CO2 emissions of 27 billion kg – the equivalent of removing 90 per cent of passenger cars registered in Australia from the road for one year.
Removing the GM moratorium is not about forcing farmers to grow GM crops. This is about all farmers simply having a choice to grow whichever approved crops – including GM crops – best suit their land and business model so that no farmer loses out.
The 2017 decision to extend the GM moratorium until 2025 was a baseless and crass political maneuver. Any delay to removing South Australia’s GM moratorium serves no purpose and would only deny the state’s farming sector access to important innovations. The facts are clear, South Australian growers are missing out on the environmental, agronomic and financial benefits of growing approved GM crops.
It’s time for South Australia to unshackle agricultural innovation and embrace gene technology, to acknowledge that the science community is unified on the safety of GM crops and their current and future benefits.
If South Australia is serious about its clean and green image, then gene technology is one of the tools to ensure the South Australian environment and farming sector continues to thrive.
Statement attributable to: Matthew Cossey, Chief Executive Officer, CropLife Australia
Comments Off on Lifting GM moratorium a win for farmers and the environment
The plant science industry commends Minister Whetstone and the Marshall Government on their decision to lift the Genetically Modified Food Crops Moratorium on mainland South Australia. We now call on all parties to support this science-based decision so farmers in South Australia can access the clear environmental, agronomic and financial benefits of growing approved GM crops.
With the demands on farming ever-increasing, policies based on facts, science and independent analysis have never been more crucial. Through this sensible decision, Minister Whetstone and the Marshall Government have displayed great leadership, foresight and an unwavering commitment to South Australian farmers and the state’s agriculture sector more broadly.
Multiple reports have provided clear evidence that the South Australian GM crop moratorium has not delivered any benefit to the state’s farming sector. In fact, South Australian farmers have been denied the chance to increase profitability and environmental sustainability by not having access to GM crops. It is estimated to have cost the state’s canola industry $33 million since 2004.
GM crops are not just beneficial for farmers, they attract great environmental benefits too. Adoption of GM crops has already saved 183 million hectares of land from cultivation and is responsible for savings in CO2 emissions of 27 billion kg – the equivalent of removing 90 per cent of passenger cars registered in Australia from the road for one year.
South Australians can be assured that lifting the GM moratorium will not impact current agricultural commodity price premiums, nor will it impact any other farmers who choose to continue with conventional or organic crops. Farmers will now have access to choose whichever approved crop suits their land and business model – no farmer loses out.
The proposed removal of the moratorium does not alter the strict licencing and accreditation rules surrounding the use of GM crops. This stringent system is in place right across the supply chain, from seed storage and seed sellers, to agronomists and farmers. It is on top of Australia’s world-class safety regulatory system for all GM crops.
Across Australia and the world, farmers have been growing GM and non-GM crops side-by-side successfully and productively for many years without creating marketing issues with segregation managed by the bulk grain handlers.
South Australia has a long and successful history in research and development of plant breeding innovations. It’s time their farmers actually gain access to this agricultural technology to keep in step with farmers from other mainland Australian states and major agricultural nations around the world.
Comments Off on Tasmania’s GM moratorium extension misguided and a loss for farmers and consumers
The decision of the Tasmanian Government to extend its moratorium on GM crops goes against all independent scientific evidence and is a significant lost opportunity for ensuring a more environmentally sustainable and profitable farming future.
Matthew Cossey, Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia, said, “It is disappointing to see irrational beliefs and a narrow political agenda based on fear triumph over the weight of scientific and independent economic evidence.
“The Tasmanian Government has chosen to ignore more than thirty years of scientific evidence and instead followed misleading, misinformed and outright false activist positions. There is no indication of any agricultural products attracting a price premium simply because of a whole-of-state GM-free status as proven by the real-world examples in other states and indeed the world. This is clearly a weak decision by Government and is deeply disappointing for those with a genuine interest in the future of Tasmanian agriculture.
“The Tasmanian Government is denying their farmers the choice to reap the proven environmental and economic benefits GM crops are already bringing to growers on mainland states and across the globe.
“The use of GM crops globally is responsible for savings in CO2 emissions of 27 billion kg, the equivalent of removing 90 per cent of passenger cars registered in Australia from the road for one year. Adoption of GM crops has already saved 183 million hectares of land from cultivation, an area 27 times the size of Tasmania.
“Rejecting modern safe farming innovations proven to foster more environmentally sustainable practices is irresponsible. It’s futile, a waste of time and taxpayer’s money when governments undertake reviews but determine to act against the evidence presented in that process.
“The plant science sector urges the Tasmanian Government to take note of the available evidence when making important decisions pertaining to agriculture in the future, for the sake of farmers, the environment and the economy,” concluded Mr Cossey.