Archives for July 19, 2005

Traces of a GM material known as Topas 19/2 were have been found in Victorian canola ready for export.

GM canola was approved by the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator in Canberra sometime ago for commercial production in Australia. However, bans on GM food crops introduced by State Governments have prevented the legal commercial production of GM canola. GM canola is grown overseas including in Canada, the US and Argentina.

It is unclear how the Australian canola became contaminated.

Bayer has field trials of GM canola in Victoria. However, the Topas 19/2 is apparently not consistent with the GM material in the canola being grown in trials by Bayer in Australia at the moment – though was in trials grown prior to 1998.

While investigations continue, perhaps the more likely explanation is that the contamination is from an Australian breeding program. There are apparently a number of different companies that breed and sell canola seed in Australia – but not Bayer (because state governments have banned their GM product). Anyway these breeding program exchange material with overseas companies and it is possible that in an exchange of germplasm the impurity/the Topas 19/2 was introduced.

Topas 19/2 includes a gene from a soil bacteria that confers herbicide resistance. The same gene, known as the pat gene has been used as a marker in a wide range of research in a variety of crops around the world. The pat gene is a Bayer creation.

According to Greenpeace Campaigner Jeremy Tager, Bayer should take responsibility for the organism it created. Do you reckon we should get Jeremy’s Mum to take more responsibility for the campaigns he runs?

Bayer media release: http://www.bayercropscience.com.au/news/index.asp?id=20050714GMTraces3

Greenpeace media release:
http://www.greenpeace.org.au/media/ge_canola_details.php?site_id=55&news_id=1728

ABC online:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200507/s1416183.htm

Some months ago grain and oilseed growers from West Australia, dried fruit, dairy, grain and beef producers from Victoria, and cotton, grain, cattle, sheep and oilseed growers from New South Wales and Queensland got together in Canberra to talk about GM issues.

They formed a network with the following vision and aim:

Our vision is “To ensure timely access to agricultural biotechnologies for the economic, social and environmental benefit of all Australians”.

Our aim is “To promote informed discussion and decision making on agricultural biotechnology between rural and metropolitan communities and decision makers, for the benefit of all Australians, to ensure rural viability, environmental sustainability, and consumer and producer choice”.

They can be contacted at info@producersforum.net.au .

A founding member has written:

We are driven by frustration at the attitude towards GM crops of some of the major commodity companies and State Governments in Australia, and feel that Australia is missing out on possibly the most beneficial technical advance the world has ever seen. Australian farmers have stayed viable by being at the forefront of technology adoption on a very uneven global playing field, and we are now being forced to abstain from possibly the most important technology in our lifetime.