Australia: GM crop moratorium must stay

GM crop moratorium must stay

Greens MLA Deb Foskey has flagged strong public resistance to the ACT
Chief Minister's suggested abandonment of the ACT GM crop moratorium.

"Now that nearly all other states of Australia are behind a GM crop moratorium, and given the ACT doesn't actually grow food crops, Mr
Stanhope's suggestion that the ACT may abandon that policy is a political stunt" Dr Foskey said today.

"The trouble is, like most political stunts, it is dangerous."

"There is a continuing stream of evidence raising questions about the science and the economics of gene technology."

"In that context, Chief Minister Jon Stanhope's uncritical endorsement of the industry, at the recent Biotechnology Summit Dinner, will have sent shock waves through the farming community around Australia - for whom contamination and terminator technology are just two of many unresolved issues."

"A bit more thought for farmers in our region is called for. I don't think the growing number of Canberra people buying locally produced food at the farmers' market would appreciate GM contamination."

"I can only presume that Mr Stanhope aims to curry favour with biotech industry players who he hopes will commercialise their research in the ACT."

"However, in suggesting the ACT should lift its ban, Mr Stanhope is promoting a misconception that the moratorium on commercial GM crops interferes with research and development work on the ACT."

"He is also undermining the precautionary approach agreed across the other governments."

"For a government that prides itself on taking a moral stance, that is not a particularly moral approach to take" Dr Foskey said.

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