Jennifer Marohasy

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Romanian Farmers Get Premium for GM Canola?

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The campaign to lift the current ban on GM food crops, in place in most Australian states, appears to be gathering momentum with various pro-GM articles in the rural press over recent weeks.

One reason for the ban was a claim that Australian farmers woud get a premium for GM-free product, in particular GM-free canola.

I was interested to read University of Melbourne’s Dean of Land and Food Resources, Professor Rick Roush, quoted in the Border Mail (Aussie Farmers Need GM Crop Advantage, 24 February 2007) disputing the claim that Australian farmers get a premium for GM-free canola and stating:

“Ironically, there are some places where GM-crops are getting premiums, for example, in Romania farmers are being paid extra because their canola is weed-free.”

The article also included the following information under the heading ‘Fast Facts’:

“Since 1996, the global use of pesticides In GM crops was reduced by 224 million kilograms. In 2005 the C02 savings from reduced fuel use in GM crops was close to one billion kilograms. The increase in the amount of carbon stored in the soil due to reduction in tillage was more than eight billion kilograms. This combined reduction of C02 emissions in 2005 equates to removing almost four million cars from the road. Farmers earn higher incomes in every country where GM crops are grown.
Source: Global Impact of Biotech Crops which can be found at www.agbioforum.org”

And Professor Roush was reported saying he didn’t believe the bans would be lifted any time soon.

Good People Have Short Showers in Brisbane

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How many times a day do you shower? How long do you shower for?

I live in southeast Queensland, in beautiful Brisbane. The region is famous for its balmy weather, surf beaches, theme parks (including Sea World at the Gold Coast) and general great outdoor lifestyle which often revolves around water and water sports.

Indeed, most people would consider southeast Queensland water rich.

But from the 11th April, when level 5 water restrictions are likely to be introduced, Brisbanites will be expected to comply with a raft of new water saving measures including 4 minute showers.

I don’t have a problem with short showers, but I’m concerned that the government will soon be asking me to have just one shower a day.

Is there any other part of the world where government recommends how long and how often people should shower?

It is extraordinary that the situation has deteriorated to the extent that it has in southeast Queensland.

The Queensland Premier, Peter Beattie, keeps blaming the “water crisis” on climate change and the drought. But the real issue is population. Indeed the population of south east Queensland has doubled since the last dam was build in 1985. There has been a chronic under investment in water infrastructure at least in part because of environmental campaigning. Indeed the planned Wolfdene Dam was scrapped about 18 years ago because of concern over environmental impacts. Now government is trying to fast track dams, desalination and waste water recycling.

Europe Follows Australia on Light Bulbs

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“European homes, offices and streets will have to use energy-efficient lighting by the end of the decade, EU leaders decided on Friday.

“The decision to order a massive switchover that will affect the lives of all the European Union’s 490 million citizens came at a summit of the 27-nation bloc as part of an ambitious green energy policy to fight climate change.

“We are very impressed by the Australian [decision to ban incandescent light bulbs]* and before we came to the summit, we had already been in touch with them and looking at the issue. We support this scheme and hope to take it on, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said. (From Reuters via Woody)

In response to the decision, the question was asked across Europe: How many EU leaders does it take to change a lightbulb? Answer: 27.

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* Read comment on the Australian decision to ban incandescent light bulbs here: https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/blog/archives/001899.html

Conservative Australian Senator Calls for Rethink on GM Crops

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A couple of years ago I spoke at a breakfast in Queanbeyan, near Canberra, on GM food crops. I explained the benefits of the technology from an environmental perspective.

At the time, bans on the commercial production of GM food crops had just been introduced in most Australian states following campaigning by Greenpeace against GM canola.

Yes, it’s now illegal to grow GM crops in most parts of Australia, with GM cotton exempt on the basis it is grown primarily for fibre – not food.

Senator Bill Heffernan was in the audience when I spoke at that breakfast and he continually interjected, in particular, he claimed that GM technology was unproven and that GM canola would become a weed.

So, I was a little surprised to see the headline in today’s The Age newspaper: ‘Heffernan calls for a rethink on GM crops’.

It seems the Senator, himself, has had a rethink as part of his push for agricultural development in northern Australia and is now enthusiastic about GM food crops.

In the article, The Senator suggests some southern farmers would be prepared to move north and that our attitude to GM needs to change if “the water-drenched Top End” is to be developed as the nation’s “food bowl”.

But, agricultural development in the north doesn’t need southern farmers or the Senator and his federal government committees.

It needs less, not more, government interference and in particular:

1. A lifting of the bans on GM food crops in Western Australia,
2. A lifting of the ban on cotton growing in the Northern Territory (yes, it is illegal to grow any sort of cotton in the Northern Territory), and
3. Queensland legislation, in particular the Wild Rivers Act and Vegetation Management Act, needs to be changed so there is potential for some land development and some water infrastructure development in north Queensland.

There is always more information on breaking GM news at David Tribe’s blog at http://gmopundit.blogspot.com/.

Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund & Ralph Barraclough

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There has been much discussion at this blog about bushfires (click here and scroll down).

There were terrible bushfires in north eastern Victoria last December and then last week I posted some photographs of Ralph Barraclough’s shed during a recent flash flood at Licola, in north eastern Victoria.

The blog post (Licola Flood: A Note from Ralph Barraclough) included comment from Ralph that the country is just so burnt there is nothing to slow the water from getting into streams.

Following the post, there were was some sympathy for Ralph with comment that this scenario is being played out right across the mountains, while others suggested that Ralph should not have build in a floodway.

An occasional reader of this blog, John Cribbes, visited Ralph last week.

When he emailed me that he was driving up to Licola to find out how Ralph was I asked he passed on my best regards.

John has since sent me a long email including the following comments:

“Ralph is pleased and touched to receive your messages of good will.

“He will get something from the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund (GERF). The maximum he can receive is $3,500 depending upon the amount they have got to distribute.

“If friends of Ralph were to combine a lump sum and send it to GERF asking for it to go to Ralph they will issue tax deductible receipts to the individual donors. But, however, much we raise, they will not give Ralph any more than $3,500.

“The river, all the way down to Lake Glenmaggie is the colour and consistency of tomato soup. The rivers in East Gippsland are so badly coloured and loaded with sediment, East Gippsland Water are having to use alternative water resources and have put East Gippsland on Stage 3 water restrictions despite their good rains in recent months.

“It gives me no pleasure to say ‘I told you so’ but I did. Now, our Government will turn this around and make it look as though there had been no mismanagement, that it was an Act of God and here the Government is spending the tax payers funds so wisely.

“In regards to Ralph, please ask those who will assist to send a cheque or money order made out to GERF or Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund and to post it to me [John Cribbes] at P.O. Box 1462, Sale Victoria 3853, Australia.

“At the end of March this year I will take all cheques/money orders to GERF with a list of donors and their addresses and they will issue tax deductible receipts which will be sent direct to the donors.

“I would be pleased if you would use some of my email for your blog.

“I am very pleased that the Victorian Government has agreed to an Inquiry into our recent bushfires. I encourage you and yours to email Premier Thwaites commending his full and open support for the Inquiry. [end of quote]

If after reading this blog post you would like to comment on the Licola floods, bushfires, building in floodways, climate change etcetera then please post your comment here: https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/blog/archives/001911.html

If you would like to send a word of encouragement to Ralph and/or let John Cribbes know there is a cheque in the mail, then please leave a comment below.