NSW to lift ban on use of GM crops from July

THE New South Wales Government yesterday announced it will lift its ban on the use of genetically modified (GM) crops by allowing an 18-year moratorium to lapse on 1 July.

Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall said this would allow NSW’s primary industries sector to embrace new GM technologies, and these were forecast to deliver up to $4.8 billion in total gross benefits over the next 10 years.

“The potential agronomic and health benefits of future GM crops include everything from drought and disease resistance to more efficient uptake of soil nutrients, increased yield and better weed control,” Mr Marshall said.

He said GM technology could save farmers up to 35 per cent of their overheads and boost production by almost 10pc.

“This is also great news for consumers as by lifting the ban we are empowering companies to invest in GM technology that has the potential to remove allergens such as gluten, improve taste and deliver enhanced nutrition.

The GM moratorium was enacted to manage the trade and marketing issues related to the emerging branch of agriculture, and Mr Marshall said there had been few if any implications in more than a decade.

Mr Marshall said there was already a “robust safety system in place” with all applications to grow GM crops in Australia assessed by the Federal Government’s Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR).

Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not have a moratorium in place, and the moratorium in South Australia now only applies to Kangaroo Island.

The OGTR in 2018 stated that around 20pc of canola grown in Australia was GM.

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We should be very careful as to not allow all this GM crops here in Australia, I read a lot on this some years back and the issues that are happening in the US from all this is well worth a read for people to look at the broader concerns at crop grown level.

Big companies make a fortune selling their seed and it is not as simple growing growing your own crop and keeping the seed for next year when the property next door has planted GM seed, if they cross pollinate the none GM seed grower can be sued by the GM big seed company for taking their seed, happens in the US and can/will happen here.
They all want to ban glyphosate, but more glyphosate is used in GM crops as they have the gene in the crop not to kill it.
Their is some research now staring to show that lab animals are starting to show organ failure from just being fed GM products.

I would't be backing all this as it just lead's big companies wanting control of what is grown now.