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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2007-11-14 Daily Xml
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GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS

The Hon. C.V. SCHAEFER (12:27): Today's agricultural practices are changing rapidly. Farmers know that they have to look after natural resources, maintain the fertility of the soil, be careful with water use, use chemicals wisely and use biological advantages of rotational farming; if they do not, they will not survive. Increased production is what has kept them competitive with the rest of the world since the Second World War; certainly, in real terms, increased prices have not.

Science is the best method of keeping ourselves safe from drought: we cannot make it rain. Today's agriculture has depended upon better management, better varieties and a better understanding of market requirements. These improvements have depended on research and the implementation of new knowledge to achieve better practices. Today's farmers get off the tractor and log onto the internet to check the world's crop prices. It is interesting to read an article in today's press that states that 70 per cent of all grain farmers prefer to sell for cash on the open market, as opposed to the previous single desk system.

We are all aware of how much farmers are struggling. We have a responsibility to thoroughly explore practices that can improve our farming, and this is especially apparent at a time of drought. There has never been a time when improvement in agricultural performance has been needed more. Biological research has transformed technologies which provide us with the ability to understand the working of genes and a new understanding of how plants function in the environment. This is critical for crop performance and food production.

Governments across the country are currently facing the contentious biotechnology debate. Do we or do we not allow the lifting of the moratorium on growing GM crops? There are valid arguments on each side of the debate, but it is estimated that around 10 million farmers in the world already grow genetically modified crops. They have been available since 1995, and something like 80 million hectares of GM crops are already being produced in the world. By far the most prominent of those growers are in North America and South America: 68 per cent of all GM crops are grown in the United States; 22 per cent in Argentina; 6 per cent in Canada; and 3 per cent in China. The world has not frozen over, and there are no known cases of people being badly affected by legitimately registered GM crops.

The adoption of GM varieties has been almost exclusively limited to four main crops—soy beans, corn, cotton and canola. Of these, Australia is a major grower of BT cotton and has been producing GM cotton for many years. It has not only shown improvements in yields and quality but also it is a much cleaner, much greener product with the use of fewer pesticides. The advantages of GM canola also relate to herbicide resistance and an increase in yield.

Mr Peter Reeding, Managing Director of the Grains Research and Development Corporation, has said that both GM and non-GM pathways have an important role in ensuring that the grain industry and its communities remain viable. Using GM and non-GM processes, biotechnology provides opportunities to produce higher value crops, with health and industrial benefits, and to mitigate economic and environmental challenges such as climate change.

Reports yesterday indicated that it is highly likely that New South Wales and Victoria will lift their ban on genetically modified crops next year. If this goes ahead, it would be impossible, as well as stupid, for South Australia to attempt to remain GM free. Finally, I quote Dr Jim Peacock, the President of the Australian Academy of Science, as follows:

It is important for parliamentary representatives to fully understand what is being proposed so they can assess the benefits and risks based on factual evidence. In Australia we have a number of regulatory bodies to examine the safety, performance and environmental impacts of GM crops and all food products. Their recommendations deserve to be recognised. It is sometimes easier for a politician to say no to any proposition, for example, to a new technology, than to have the courage to say yes, even though to say no may ultimately have untoward and serious negative consequences to business, to the environment and to human health.

Time expired.

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