Backflip in WA on GM crops

THE WEST AUSTRALIAN (Perth)

Top farm group backflips and tells State it wants GM crops

Jodie Thomson

March 2, 2007

This item reveals that WA's biggest farming group has reversed its opposition to genetically
modified crops, revealing it now believes the State Government needs to lift its ban or farmers will miss opportunities worth millions.

The WA Farmers Federation backflip saw it call on Agriculture Minister Kim Chance to move quickly to allow GM crops to be grown commercially in WA.

The move adds to mounting pressure on the Government to lift its moratorium on GM crops, which is scheduled to be reviewed next year.

But the farm group, which has traditionally taken a cautious approach towards the technology and expressed fears over its potential detrimental impact on export markets, says a decision needs to be made before then, paving the way for critical research into GM crops.

WAFF president Trevor de Landgrafft said yesterday that expansion of the Ord River stage two project relied heavily on farmers' ability to grow pest-resistant varieties of GM cotton.

In the agricultural region, crops which required less herbicide, salt-tolerant wheat, designer-bred canola for bio-diesel and barley boosted with omega oils were all future opportunities which WA growers were missing out on, he said....