March 28, 2000 / The Age / Geoff Strong
GM backlash: Mount Gambier farmer Nic Kentish has pulled out of trials
involving genetically modified canola on his land, claiming he was not told
about the nature of the experiments. Controversy has surrounded the
discovery of plant material from the trials discovered at a private landfill
near Mount Gambier.
Opponents of genetically modified food have attacked the Federal
Government's proposed gene technology laws as doing nothing to prevent
contamination by genetically modified material.
The proposed laws, due before Parliament in the next few months, are
designed to protect public health and the environment, and deal with risks
posed by gene technology.
But they have been criticised as doing little to protect farmers and leaving
them no alternative to legal action if their crops are contaminated.
The Organic Federation of Australia's chairman, Mr Scott Kinnear, said his
organisation had received legal advice that farmers would be required to sue
other farmers if they identify the exact source of contamination from a GM
crop.
"We believe the legislation should have a system of mandatory notifications
to governments, councils and neighboring farmers when a grower intends to
plant a GM crop." He said a compensation fund should be set up to prevent
farmers having to sue their neighbors.
Meanwhile, a South Australian farmer involved in the genetically modified
canola trials exposed by The Age on Saturday has pulled out of the trials.
It was revealed that plant material from the trials had been dumped at a
private landfill near Mount Gambier.
Mr Nic Kentish of Mount Gambier said the company conducting the trials on
his land, Aventis crop science, had not informed him that the plants were
genetically modified.
A spokeswoman for the company, Ms Naomi Stevens, said Mr Kentish would have
been fully aware of the nature of the crop.
"We would have informed him that we were experimenting with
herbicide-tolerant hybrid canola. We would have informed him verbally and in
writing that this was what we were planting," she said. "We don't use the
words `genetically modified' or `genetically engineered'."
But Mr Kentish said that like a lot of farmers he probably would not have
objected when he signed the contract three years ago. It was also revealed yesterday that the Mount Gambier site was conducting
experiments on a plant commonly known as Indian mustard on a site in Yells
Road, Moorak. Like the canola, the genetically modified mustard would
contain genes to promote hybridisation and to be resistant to spraying by
the yet-to-be-released Aventis herbicide Liberty glufosinate ammonium.
The Federal Government's Interim Office of Gene Technology yesterday issued
a statement refuting that the trials were conducted in secrecy.
(posted without permission)
