The Tasmanian Greens today expressed concern over reports that GE Canola wildings ( Simon Bevilacqua, Mercury: Crop that won’t die ) had still not been fully contained after escaping from crop trials in the 1990s, and called for their eradication to be prioritised.
Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said that this scenario and the anxiety it has caused throughout the farming community shows how important it is for Tasmania to maintain and protect its GE-free status.
“The failure of early GE crop trials and the contamination threat they presented was a key factor in Tasmania choosing to go GE-free at the time. Their invasive behaviour now just demonstrates why we must remain vigilant and keep working hard to protect our valuable GE-free brand,” Mr McKim said.
“We simply cannot allow GE canola wildings to contaminate standard canola crops, or become an established feral pest.”
“The ongoing capacity of our primary producers to leverage the best possible deals in the national and international markets relies on our clean, green, and GE free brand.”
“Just as our hormonal growth promotant-free brand has value-added to our beef industry, our GE free food status has been a boon for our crop farmers”
“Our brand underpins so much of our economy, from tourism to our fine food and beverages. It’s worth billions every year to Tasmania and must be jealously protected.”
“Once we lose our GE-free status, there is no turning back. GE-free, clean, safe and high quality is our key point of difference in the marketplace.”
“It was the work of the Greens that uncovered the original failure to contain the GE canola crop trials in Tasmania during the late 1990s, which led to the original ban.
“We will now push for that ban to be extended, and all on all Tasmanians who value our GE-free status to ensure their voice is heard during the current review underway,” said Mr McKim.
• Simon Bevilacqua, Mercury: Crop that won’t die:
GENETICALLY modified canola plants continue to sprout in Tasmanian fields where trials finished more than 15 years ago.
The State Government concedes the rogue GM plants could continue to surface for decades, despite spending $250,000 a year since 2001 on eradication.
Coal River Valley winemaker Tony Scherer fears the herbicide-resistant plants may have cross-pollinated with related weed species and escaped into the environment.
“It’s a nightmare — you can’t contain it,” Mr Scherer said.
“In the US and Canada it’s growing everywhere. You can’t put it back in the box.”
However, authorities expect the small scale of the 1990s trials counts against Mr Scherer’s scenario that herbicide-resistant plants may have cross-pollinated with related weed species.
The Government starts a review of the state’s GM crops ban this month.
Trials were abandoned in 2000, soon before the government banned GM crops because of a perceived threat to Tasmania’s clean and green brand.
The latest audit of trial sites ticked off by Primary Industries Minister Bryan Green, conducted in March, found rogue GM plants flowering at three of the 57 secret sites where field trials took place in the 1990s.
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