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.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.