THE State Government has stood by its contentious decision to lift a ban on genetically modified crops in WA.
Despite fervent opposition from a small cross-section of the community who understand this complex issue, Agriculture Minister Terry Redman told protesters outside Parliament House last week that farmers should have the choice to grow genetically modified canola crops or not.
Conservation groups, consumer groups and the State Opposition have concerns about the health and environmental implications of GM food, while agricultural companies have praised the decision.
There are reasons why critics have opposed GM foods. These include safety issues, ecological trepidation and economic concerns because these organisms are subject to intellectual property law.
Some farmers have argued that it is inevitable that GM modified crops will ultimately contaminate non-GM crops, as was demonstrated in the State Government's trial where 11 minor incidents on 17 properties were reported, which included canola being blown on to adjacent non-GM crops.
Economically, WA is also risking its position of being able to obtain premium prices for its GM-free foods in the global canola markets.
Mr Redman has argued that despite these discrepancies, and continual opposition, the fact that 23 countries are growing millions of tonnes of GM crops is evidence that it can be successful.
Whether GM crops are a good thing for WA – Australia’s largest canola-growing State – remains unanswered. However it seems odd that this Government isn’t being more sensitive to the views of farmers given its links with the National Party.
While change is often a hard commodity for this State to swallow, rushing into a scheme with so many unanswered questions, and a visible community opposition, seems rather inconsistent with the Government’s crowd-pleasing policies.