March 30, 2000 / Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Head of Organic Farming in the United Kingdom says Australia's status as
GM-free is at risk if cropping trials continue. The Director of the Soil
Association says the environmental impacts of genetically modified crops are
unknown.
Patrick Holden says farmers should consider what that means for Australia's
reputation as producers of clean food. He's in Australia encouraging farmers
to turn to organic as a way of meeting consumer needs.
Patrick Holden Australian agriculture certainly is at a crossroads. You've
got huge possibilities for supplying global markets with clean and green
food, which is catering for a growing wish to have food which is produced in
systems which are close to nature, so for goodness sake before you get
seduced by financial incentives of the biotech companies into planting these
GM plots, think about what you'll be losing, and remember than in Europe,
nobody wants to buy GM foods.
(posted without permission)
