Kyodo World Service | December 31, 1999 | By Jackie Woods
SYDNEY - Disease-resistant wheat, seedless oranges, vitamin-boosted rice and potatoes that do not go brown are just some of a raft of gene-altered crops currently being field-tested by scientists hoping to boost the yield and quality of Australia's agricultural produce.
But farmers are divided over the benefits of embracing gene technology, with some in the industry warning the move could have catastrophic effects on the country's exports as public opinion in key markets, including Japan, turns against genetically modified (GM) food.
Currently, insect-resistant cotton is the only GM crop approved for widespread commercial cultivation in Australia.
Dozens of other crops have been tested, and the government's Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee is expecting an application for the general release of modified canola in early 2000, said Andina Farragher, a secretary of the committee.
The federal government has expressed broad support for the research and development of gene technology.
According to Agriculture Minister Warren Truss, while the government is concerned about the level of public opposition to GM food, embracing the technology will have enormous benefits for Australia's agricultural sector.
"There is a terrific potential for Australian farmers in environmental terms and productivity levels," a spokesman for Truss said.
"Our concern is Australia could be left behind (in the gene technology race) and other countries produce higher yields or better products."
But Douglas Shears, chairman of ICM Agribusiness, Australia's largest group of agricultural companies, says Australia's 22 billion Australian dollar agricultural sector risks jeopardizing its "clean, natural" image overseas if it goes down the GM path.
"Here we are in the situation where Japan and Europe are telling us they don't want (modified products) in the food chain. We should be listening to them. The advent of genetically engineered farming has the potential of wiping out an economic advantage," he said.
Shears has called on the government to impose a moratorium on the use of GM crops until their effects are fully examined.
"I don't know what the long-term effects of this technology will be on our agriculture, on our farms, on our ecosystems. Nor does it seem anyone else," he said.
Scott Kinnear, a spokesman for the Organic Federation of Australia, which represents 2,000 organic farmers, predicts a catastrophic outcome for Australia's agricultural sector if GM crops are widely cultivated.
"It's a very, very hot subject. It's fraught with risk," he said. "There is a risk that contamination will be discovered in genetically modified crops and Australia's reputation will be damaged. The whole thing will crash, because consumers will reject it."
Not only will GM crops be hard to sell, said Kinnear, but farmers face other dangers, including falling land values as traces of GM crops can not be removed from land and have the potential to contaminate vast areas.
"We find it difficult to understand why the government doesn't realize this. They have the attitude that we just have to educate consumers, but the more consumers are educated the more they are opposed (to GM crops)," he said.
Stephen Prowse, executive officer of the industry body Agrifood Alliance Australia (AAA), said there was a very high level of debate among farmers over the benefits of GM crops, and it was difficult to ascertain to what extent farmers would embrace the technology.
"There's no doubt farmers are very concerned," he said.
"About 80% of our produce is exported, so they are very concerned that if they grow (modified crops) it will limit the number of markets they can export to."
An AAA survey released in December showed 55% of Australian farmers thought the benefits of producing GM food partially outweighed the risks, 12% thought the benefits definitely outweighed the risks, and 32% thought the risks outweighed the benefits.
One of the major risks identified by farmers was market acceptance of GM food.
Prowse said speculation that Australian GM crops would be rejected by Japanese consumers was misleading, as Japan was already the largest importer of genetically modified canola.
"Japan has been cited (as a major source of opposition to GM food), again that's not correct. Japan is maneuvering to leverage the best prices. They will use GM and non-GM to obtain the best possible price," he said.
But Setsuko Yasudo, director of the Japanese Consumer Union, has warned Australian farmers the consumer backlash against GM food in Japan will continue to grow.
In November, she attended a seminar in Melbourne that examined the issues faced by Australian farmers in moving to GM farming.
"My very clear message for Australian farmers is do not produce genetically modified foods," she told her audience. "You simply will not sell it in Japan."
Copyright 1999 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
