CropLife Australia, as the national peak industry body for the plant science sector, strongly welcomes today’s announcement by the Hon. Tim Whetstone, Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, of an independent review of the state’s GM Moratorium.
Matthew Cossey, Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia, noted the review would be conducted by world-renowned agricultural economist Emeritus Professor Kym Anderson AC.
Mr Cossey said, “Both the appointment and the review will be welcomed by the entire agricultural sector. The South Australian Government should be commended for delivering on its election promise of conducting a review so that policy decisions are made on evidence and science, and that South Australian farmers are not disadvantaged through continued denial of access to important innovations.
“This is a constructive approach to ensure a growing South Australian agricultural sector continues to be a key component of the state’s economy. It will ensure all farmers can benefit from important, safe plant science innovation.”
Earlier this year a report released by independent market analysts Mecardo provided clear evidence that the South Australian GM crop moratorium has not delivered any benefit to the state’s farming sector. It found South Australian farmers had been denied the chance to increase profitability and environmental sustainability by not having access to GM crops.
Mr Cossey continued, “When comparing similar markets in Victoria and Western Australia, where both GM and non-GM crops are grown, it is clear the GM ban in South Australia does not facilitate any farmer achieving higher prices for any agricultural commodity. It confirms that no other farmers would be disadvantaged, or their premiums compromised in any way, by South Australia’s farmers having access to GM crops.”
Mr Cossey concluded, “Farmers in other Australian states know the financial gains and the significant environmental benefits that GM crops allow. GM traits in cotton and canola have contributed to a more environmentally sustainable use of insecticides and herbicides. We look forward to the outcome of the review and the state government ensuring its agricultural policies are there to assist all of the state’s farmers.”
| The European Union (EU) Court of Justice ruling overnight that plants resulting from some of the latest plant breeding innovations, including gene editing techniques such as CRISPR, are considered genetic modification has no basis in scientific evidence and has significant negative implications for plant breeding and farming.
Mr Matthew Cossey, Chief Executive Officer of the national peak organisation for Australia’s plant science sector, CropLife Australia, today said “the decision by the EU Court of Justice highlights the ridiculousness of EU regulations on plant breeding and should be the trigger for the EU to finally clarify the regulation of plant breeding innovations based on scientific evidence and facts, not extreme anti-science agendas. As it stands, this decision will send European agriculture back into the dark ages.” “This ruling is a clear signal to the Australian Government to ensure that Australia’s regulations of these plant breeding innovations are based on evidence and science, not on the bizarre, luddite opinions of European activist organisations.” “This decision provides nothing but regulatory uncertainty and places a handbrake on crucial global research on gene-edited crops that was working towards improvements in food crop nutrition, crop ability to cope with changing climate conditions and increased farming yields.” “Europe has some of the most fertile and productive agricultural land yet is one of the world’s largest importers of food and animal feed. It is time Europe genuinely commits to contributing to global food nutrition and security, and to do anything else is morally reprehensible when global food nutrition and security remains such a significant challenge.” “The ruling is based almost entirely on the breeding process and the technology involved rather than the final outcome of the process and flies in the face of the recently stated opinion of the EU Advocate General. It is also at odds with decisions and interpretations made elsewhere in the world, including Australia, US, South America and Israel.” “This interpretation should not be followed by governments wishing to facilitate access to innovation by their local seed industry and farmers. It is crucial that Australia’s plant science researchers in both the public and private sectors can have access to these methods. This will be key if Australia is to capitalise on the significant nutritional, environmental and productivity benefits that these latest breeding methods will deliver,” said Mr Cossey. “The latest plant breeding innovations like genome editing are easier and faster and can help to more efficiently develop plant varieties that have a reduced need for inputs. The latest innovations can also dramatically improve the efficiency of breeding programs and help achieve results in a much more targeted manner.” “Now, more than ever, it is critical that the Australian Government adopt pro-innovation policies so that Australian farmers have access to the latest tools and technologies to remain internationally competitive and sustainably feed a growing population,” concluded Mr Cossey. |
The latest independent reports published by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) and UK-based PG Economics released overnight confirm that plant biotechnology continues to have significant benefits for farmers, communities, consumers, economies and the environment.
“The reports confirm the importance of Australian farmers being able to choose innovative, safe and approved technologies to remain globally competitive, meet the requirements of increased food demand, and farm sustainably in a changing and challenging climate,” said Matthew Cossey, Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia.
“Modern farming using biotechnology innovation plays an increasingly crucial role in food, feed and fibre production in Australia. These reports highlight the need to ensure non-science based and unnecessary costly regulation doesn’t hold Australia back from reaping the benefits and being a world leader in agricultural innovation.”
“The ISAAA report marks twenty-one years of successful commercialisation of GM crops reaching 189.8 million hectares globally in 2017 compared to 185.1 million hectares in 2016. In 2017, 67 countries used biotech crops, including planting in 19 developing and five industrial countries; and an additional 43 non-planting countries that formally regulate the importation and use of biotech crops for food, feed and processing.”
“The PG Economics report highlights the environmental benefits of GM crops, with GM crop-related carbon dioxide emission savings from reduced fuel use and additional soil carbon sequestration equal to the removal of 16.75 million cars from the roads in 2016, an increase from 12 million in 2015.”
“Even more impressive is the contribution of GM crops to the global food supply. The increased productivity of GM crops has meant an additional 213 million tons of soybeans, 405 million tons of maize, 27.5 million tons of cotton lint and 11.6 million tons of canola, which would not have been achieved if conventional technology had been used.” said Mr Cossey.
“Australian farmers continue to embrace crop biotechnology with an 8 per cent increase in GM crop plantings, seeing 924,000 hectares compared to 852,000 hectares in 2016. In 2017, there were 491,528 hectares of biotech canola grown in Australia, that’s a 10 per cent increase from the 446,226 hectares planted in 2016. While in the same period 432,000 hectares were planted with biotech cotton, an increase of 6.7 per cent.”
“GM cotton is one the great success stories of Australian agriculture, comprising nearly 100 per cent of the Australian cotton crop. Adoption of GM technology has resulted in greater water use efficiency and has greatly improved the cotton industry’s sustainable use of pesticides.”
“With GM cotton accounting for almost all cotton production in Australia, cotton farmers had a net farm income benefit of more than US$239 per hectare directly attributable to the technology in 2016; and cumulatively since 1996 the gains have been US$1.06 billion. The average Australian farmer growing GM canola in 2016 had an average net increase in gross margins of US$45 per hectare, with a cumulative gain of US$89.9 million since commercial cultivation was approved.”
“When farmers are given access and the opportunity of growing GM crops, they can grow more on less land, increase crop yields, contribute to international competitiveness, and reduce agriculture’s environmental impact. Evidence has shown that given the choice, farmers increasingly choose to grow GM crops despite the remnants of extreme and vocal anti-science activist campaigns,” concluded Mr Cossey.
The PG Economics GM crops global socio-economic and environmental impacts 1996-2016 report is available at: www.pgeconomics.co.uk.
The ISAAA Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops in 2017: Biotech Crop Adoption Surges as Economic Benefits Accumulate in 22 Years report can be downloaded here: http://www.isaaa.org/resources/publications/briefs/53/default.asp
23 May 2018
The victory by the Liberal Party in the South Australian election, may lead to a new era of choice for that state’s farmers.
Last year the Liberal Party committed to a review of a moratorium on growing genetically modified crops if it should win.
If it lifts the ban, Tasmania would be the last remaining grain growing state where GM crop can’t be grown. A four-year ban was lifted in Victoria in November 2007, paving the way for the first crops to be grown in 2008.
Grain Growers chief executive David McKeon said it was important to look at the facts behind the issue of GM crops.
A new report by independent market analysts Mecardo released today is clear and undeniable evidence that the South Australian Government’s genetically modified (GM) crop moratorium does not deliver any benefit to the state’s farming sector and in fact, is only denying the state’s farmers from being more profitable and more environmentally sustainable.
“The report Analysis of price premiums under the South Australian GM moratorium is evidence that the GM-crop moratorium serves no purpose to anyone and the removal of the ban would not be any loss to non-GM farmers seeking to establish a premium international market. The report was commissioned by Grain Producers South Australia and the Agricultural Biotechnology Council of Australia to contribute facts and evidence to a debate that has otherwise been hijacked by political interests and baseless ideologies,” CropLife Australia CEO, Matthew Cossey said today.
“The analysis undertaken by Mecardo has compared prices in South Australia to comparable markets in Western Australia and Victoria on a range of agricultural commodities including wheat, canola, barley, wine grapes and cattle. Only GM canola and cotton are federally approved for commercial cultivation in Australia however the analysis has thoroughly examined all agricultural sectors in SA that contribute to the local economy to correct, once and for all, the misinformation and fear-mongering that has been the basis of the GM debate in the state.”
“It is clear that in direct comparison with similar markets in Victoria and Western Australia, where both genetically modified and non-GM crops are grown, the ban on GM crops in South Australia does not facilitate any farmer achieving higher prices for any agricultural commodity. It’s high time that South Australian politicians stopped playing political football with the livelihoods of their farmers who contribute so much to the state’s economy,” said Mr Cossey.
“The Mecardo report also found that, not only are SA’s farmers not achieving price premiums, but they also don’t have the opportunity to experience the benefits of growing safe and approved genetically modified canola.”
“Recent independent data by Graham Brookes of UK-based PG Economics has shown that GM crop farmers in Western Australia, Victoria, NSW and Queensland have gained $1.37 billion worth of extra income and produced an additional 226,000 tonnes of canola that would otherwise have not been produced if conventional seeds had been used. GM traits in cotton and canola have also contributed to a significant reduction in the environmental impact associated with insecticide and herbicide use on the areas devoted to these GM crops in Australia. The state government’s baseless ban on GM crops means South Australian farmers continue to miss out on these benefits.”
“The long track record of Australian farmers using different agricultural production methods alongside each other reaffirm that all agricultural production methods can and does work to coexist to deliver the best of Australian agriculture. There is no reason for the South Australian government to hold the state’s farmers back by preventing them from being able to competitively produce more food, feed and fibre for a growing global population.”
“Whatever the result of the state election, the state government must act on the facts and evidence in this report and, in the best interests of the state’s farmers and agricultural sector, remove the unnecessary ban on safe and federally approved GM crops,” concluded Mr Cossey.
For a copy of the report visit www.abca.com.au
Contact: Jaelle Bajada (Director – Corporate Affairs) Ph: 02 6273 2733 Mob : 0410 491 261