November 7, 2003
Better Safeguards Demanded Due To Discovery of GM Canola in Conventional Wheat in Australia
Campaigners against genetically modified crops have demanded better safeguards against contamination after GM canola plants were discovered in a conventional wheat crop in New South Wales (NSW), in southwest Australia.
NSW Agriculture investigators are deciding whether to destroy a trial being run by Bayer CropScience after the flowering plants were found in a buffer zone containing the wheat.
It is the first breach of a NSW trial of GM canola.
Greens MP Ian Cohen said the breach showed farmers were "under threat" from possible contamination. "Unless the Government guards against contamination by GM crops, the broad-scale release of GM crops will be a disaster for farmers, for the NSW economy and the environment," he said.
Leaked departmental documents showed unsuccessful attempts to control the escaped canola with pesticides, causing trial workers to remove the plants by hand.
The trial is being conducted on less than a hectare of land near Wagga Wagga.
The deputy director-general of NSW Agriculture, Michael Curll, confirmed the presence of canola plants inside the trial area but outside the zone where the GM canola was grown.
"This incident indicates that the monitoring program imposed on these types of trials is working, because the plants were easily identified and destroyed," Dr Curll said.
On Monday the NSW Gene Technology Advisory Council received an application by Bayer and another chemical giant, Monsanto, to run a joint research trial over 5000 hectares.
Julie Newman, from the Network of Concerned Farmers, said: "If the GM industry can't even control a small strictly managed trial plot, how do they expect to control 5000 hectares of GM canola spread over 60-100 sites throughout NSW?"
But the NSW Farmers Association is urging for the approval of large trials, arguing that these will answer questions about the safety of GM crops.
"A properly conducted trial would present an opportunity for farmers to see how GM canola performs in the paddock, and find out if segregation between GM and non-GM canola from the farm gate to port is in fact viable and cost efficient," said grain committee chairman Angus Macneil.