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Friday 8 February 2008 (updated Mon 11 Feb 08)

RAPID ROUNDUP:  SA Government extends moratorium on genetically modified food crops - experts respond

The South Australian State Government has extended the moratorium on farmers to grow genetically-modified (GM) food crops. SA Premier Mike Rann and Minister for Agriculture Rory McEwen says South Australia has chosen to stay GM free. Below, scientists with expertise in this area discuss today’s announcement. 

Feel free to use these quotes in your stories.  If you need assistance tracking down an expert, contact the AusSMC on 08 8207 7415. 

Read comments from:

Professor Nancy Millis, Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne

A joint statement from Professor Geoff Fincher and Professor Mark Tester from the University of Adelaide's Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics.

Indidual comments from Professor Geoff Fincher, Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, University of Adelaide

Individual comments from Professor Mark Tester, Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics and The University of Adelaide

Adjunct Professor Julian Cribb, University of Technology, Sydney..

Professor Rick Roush, Dean of Food and Land Resources at the University of Melbourne

Dr Shawn Somerset, senior lecturer in human nutrition at Griffith University.

Dr TJ Higgins, Deputy Chief of CSIRO Plant Industry

Associate Professor John Coveney, an expert on food policy at the Department of Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide

Dr David Tribe, a senior lecturer in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at The University of Melbourne

Professor Mike Jones, Director of the WA State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (SABC) and Head of Plant Biotechnology Research Group at Murdoch University, WA

Professor Nancy Millis, Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne

"It is most unfortunate that South Australian farmers, unlike their counterparts in Victoria and NSW, are denied the choice of growing GM canola.  A decade of field trial supervised by the OGTR showed no unwanted environmental or agronomic effects.  The basis for SA’s decision would appear to be political, appeasing a vocal, but scientifically unsubstantiated, opposition to GM.  Such an idiosyncratic decision is at odds with countries like Canada, USA, China, Argentina and Brazil.  The decision denies the farmers of South Australia a choice available to competitors in some 50 other countries, as well as those in other states of Australia."

Joint Statement:


Professor Geoff Fincher, Director, Waite Agricultural Research Institute & Deputy CEO, Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, University of Adelaide

Professor Mark Tester, Federation Fellow, Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics and The University of Adelaide

"The State Government is highly supportive of plant science research and invests heavily at the Waite campus of the University of Adelaide. At the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, we work on increasing tolerance to environmental stresses such as drought and salt tolerance in wheat and barley. We are using both GM and non-GM technologies to tackle these massive State and national problems. We hope that South Australian farmers will be given the opportunity to use this technology in the future for the benefit of farmers, consumers and the environment."

Professor Geoff Fincher:

"It is disappointing that the South Australian government has decided to maintain a moratorium on GM canola. This decision is not supported by the scientific evidence and risks sending negative signals to the community about the role of science in agriculture and the application of new technologies."

Professor Mark Tester:

"GM technology has undergone numerous full and rigorous scientific assessments in Australia by the OGTR and by several international governmental agencies. The conclusion is that the technology offers significant benefits to human health and the environment and no deleterious impacts have been found. GM crops are now grown in 23 countries and the area sown to GM crops has expanded by around 12% every year since their first release in 1996. Over the past few years, the greatest expansion has been in the developing world, where GM crops have had highly beneficial social and environmental impacts. Where farmers have access to GM crops adoption has been rapid with huge environmental benefits. There is little doubt in the scientific community that GM crops represent the future of a sustainable and safe cropping industry. We need to ensure that the community is properly informed of the issues related to the application of this technology."

Adjunct Professor Julian Cribb is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and Adjunct Professor, University of Technology, Sydney. Julian is also Editor of the website ScienceAlert.

“This is a science communication issue as much as it is a scientific issue. The communication of the science of genetic modification with the public has been inadequate for a long time and this explains why the technology has stalled in Australia and in other countries. Scientists have not effectively engaged with the public on the issues nor sought to find out what forms of GM the public would be willing to accept – at least until recently. Added to this, they have designed GM crops with foreign  agribusiness in mind rather than the Australian public, so we should not be surprised that the Australian public has chosen to go slow on this technology.

Unlike enthusiastic scientists, the public knows that new technology sometimes backfires and their caution is both natural and understandable. Scientists need to make a greater investment in reassuring the public that GM is safe, healthy and in their best interests.”

Professor Rick Roush is Dean of Food and Land Resources at the University of Melbourne

“I am absolutely astonished, because the government have said they have yet to be convinced that growing GM crops will have a positive impact on the marketing of food and wine to our important export destinations of the world. In many ways this is not actually the issue, the issue is will it have a negative impact and there is abundant evidence that there is not a negative impact. There is abundant evidence that there are overwhelming economic advantages for farmers and advantages for the environment.

SA is one of the places that still uses triazine tolerant canola which relies on an old and increasingly discredited herbicide – atrazine. GM canola can help replace the use of atrazine and other more persistent herbicides with fairly benign herbicides in cropping. It is really a black day for progress in reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture in South Australia. The SA government has referred to concerns from Japanese meat importers but in fact seven times as much Canadian GM canola is imported into Japan each year compared to Australian canola – what does that say about the reality of the Japanese market?”

Dr Shawn Somerset is a senior lecturer in human nutrition at Griffith University.

“I am surprised that the SA government have extended the moratorium. I think this is a positive move as it gives us breathing space to ensure there is no potential threat to human health. There is no evidence that current GM inventions that have been released will enhance human health so from a health perspective this is a positive thing. There is a real lack of evidence either way so caution is good. What is the hurry? Once the horse has bolted, if we find a problem we can’t turn back the hands of time.”

Dr TJ Higgins is Deputy Chief of CSIRO Plant Industry

"This is very disappointing. This  will put South Australian growers at a disadvantage compared to their counterparts in Victoria and New South Wales. It reduces their choices and puts them at a disadvantage. I accept this is a political decision but it is very disappointing for farmers in South Australia."

Associate Professor John Coveney is an expert on food policy at the Department of Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide

“It is true that consumers are very wary of genetically modified foods and until there are clearer specifications for labelling products containing GMOs then they will probably continue to be wary.”

Dr David Tribe is a senior lecturer in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at The University of Melbourne and is author of the GMO pundit blog.

“I don’t think this is a good decision. I think it is a pity that SA farmers will not get access to a choice of technologies that are better for the environment. The question marks about future opportunities like drought resistant crops are made bigger by that sort of decision. It is a great pity. We have the situation where food prices are rising, there is global warming and there is a soft commodity boom and yet sadly people do not seem to be putting value on the need for innovative agricultural technology to meet those challenges. At the best this is scientific and policy incompetence and at the worst it is deliberately trying to bury issues for reasons that are not scientifically justified.”

Professor Mike Jones is Professor of Agricultural Biotechnology, Director of the WA State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (SABC) and Head of Plant Biotechnology Research Group Murdoch University, WA

“The retention of the moratorium on GM crops in South Australia shows that the Government of South Australia clearly lacks the courage and vision to follow the lead set by the Governments of Victoria and New South Wales in ending their moratoria on the growth of GM canola.  Unfortunately scare-mongering and minority interests have won over the huge weight of scientific evidence on the safety of GM crops, and the benefits that GM crops can bring to farmers, human health and the environment.

With over 100 million hectares of GM crops grown annually worldwide and numerous scientific studies undertaken by independent researchers in Europe, North America and elsewhere over the past ten years, there is more than ample evidence on the safety and benefits of GM crops.  Even now the world prices for maize, wheat and soybean are the highest they have ever been and the reserves of these crops at their lowest level.  Coupled with the global need to feed 3 billion more people by 2050, the need to be able to respond and meet the challenges of climate change, salinity and drought, and to provide substitute biofuels as the oils crisis worsens, GM will technologies will inevitably be needed to help solve some of these issues. 

Sooner or later SA will lift its GM moratorium: delaying this event does not benefit the farming industry or the State’s reputation, and it will reduce investment in science and technology in SA.”