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GMOs and trade
Bendigo Advertiser
27/09/05
Bendigo Mayor Rod Fyffe (City GM move delayed, 27/09/2005) misrepresents the current scenario involving genetically modified (GM) crops in Japan and the European Union.
In 2004, GM crops were grown across 81 million hectares in 17 countries, including Australia, by more than eight million farmers. Dominated by soybean, corn, cotton and canola, GM crops are traded around the globe for both human and animal consumption, including into Europe and Japan.
The European Union implemented new laws surrounding the regulation of GM food and feed in April last year. Since then, GM foods and crops have started to move through the system once more. Prior to the implementation of the new laws, a de-facto moratorium had been in place in the EU since 1998. Further, 18 products approved before the ban in the EU continued to be imported during the moratorium.
Japan is the major global importer of corn, an important importer of soybean and along with China represents nearly half of all canola imports. It continues to import these crops from countries producing GM varieties, and according to the Australian Oilseeds Federation, non-GM canola sourced from Australia is blended on arrival in Japan with GM canola imported from Canada.
ABARE has shown that there is no evidence to suggest Australia is receiving a premium for non-GM canola. However, our grains industry has developed coexistence protocols should GM canola production ever become a reality to cater for producer and market choice.
A recent report released by the World Health Organisation has concluded that the “GM foods currently on the international market have undergone risk assessments and are not likely to present risks for human health in any other form than conventional counterparts,” and further no health problems from eating such foods have arisen.
Let’s put all the facts on the table, so that important decisions affecting our producers and their global competitiveness are made in an informed manner.
Paula Fitzgerald
Executive Director
Agrifood Awareness Australia Limited
Canberra
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