January 17, 2011

 

Australia awaits GM field's release

Australian farmers are still waiting for the launch of the first genetically modified pasture, more than a decade after field trials began.

 

However, DPI researcher German Spangenberg said it would take at least three more years of trials, regulatory approval, farm management and livestock performance work before it was ready for commercial release.

 

Prof Spangenberg's team has developed other GM traits that prolong the life of leaves and boost phosphate uptake in acid soils.

 

But these traits were at earlier stages of development than the virus-resistance work.

 

Whatever the outcome, experts agreed the release of Australia's first GM pasture plant would fire up the anti-GM lobby and rouse dairy and meat processors to review how they managed customer reaction to eating cattle and sheep that have grazed GM pastures.

 

Prof Spangenberg said the next five years were critical in educating farmers and the whole supply chain on GM pastures.

 

GM soy and cottonseed meal is already being used in dairy cattle feed in Australia.

 

But while some processors have no GM thresholds, others have set limits on herd intakes.

 

The Murray Goulburn dairy co-operative allows up to 5% GM in the diet of suppliers' milking herds, while others such as National Foods recommends against the use of GM stockfeed.

 

In North America, GM animal feed has been in widespread use for more than a decade.

 

Herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant GM soy, corn, cotton and canola crops are grown in the US and Canada.

 

A variety of GM corn has also been produced with elevated levels of the essential amino acid lysine to boost feed quality.