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AUS – GM WHEAT TRIAL
GM trial sows hope for farmers
19 April 2007. Source: The Age (Australia)
Victoria's first crop of genetically modified wheat is, according to this story, set to be growing within weeks, after a positive response from the federal regulator to a State Government proposal.
But the Government has been warned it must stick to strict safety measures if it is
to proceed with the trial of drought-resistant wheat.
The Age reported in December that the Department of Primary Industries had applied to the federal Gene Technology Regulator for permission to grow GM wheat crops on two sites near Horsham and Mildura.
In its preliminary assessment, the regulator identified 15 potential risks, including the possibility of the modified species being uncontrollably spread by animals or weather.
But the regulator was confident that risks could be completely or significantly negated by precautions, including:
- A 490-metre exclusion zone between the GM wheat and any other wheat species.
- A 10-metre exclusion zone between the GM wheat and any other plant.
- A rabbit-proof fence more than a metre high around all GM wheat trial sites.
- A ban on the GM wheat being used for anything other than research.
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