Standard Page - 9 May, 2011
Genetically modified (GM) crops and chemical intensive agriculture are threatening our environment, our health and our food supply.
Despite the risks, GM food is sneaking into everyday food products unlabelled, and GM crops grown in Australia are on the increase.
Genetically modified crops
Unlike conventional breeding practices, GM crops are created in the lab by inserting genes from an entirely different species (like fish) into the plants and foods that we eat. There are two types of GM crops. One is engineered to absorb herbicides without dying. The other is engineered to produce the pesticide within the plant.
Chemical companies use the technology to develop new varieties of staple crops, like corn that produces its own insecticide and soybeans that are immune to toxic sprays. The environmental effects of these crops is increasingly apparent especially in North and South America where most GM crops are grown.
The precautionary principle
This principle says that where the results of a new technology are still unknown, it’s smarter not to use it. Where there is a lack of scientific knowledge or consensus regarding the safety of GMOs, countries should ban or restrict their use. Once they have been released into the environment, there is no way to stop GMOs reproducing and polluting forever.
Poor food labelling
We all want food that’s safe and untainted. That’s the way it should be. Loopholes in Australia’s labelling laws mean there’s already food on Australian supermarket shelves that contains GM ingredients without a GM label. More on GM labelling loopholes
Chemical intensive farming
Industrial polluting agriculture uses toxic chemicals and synthetic fertilizers that pollute our water and soils – the very things we need in order to provide healthy food now and in the future.
Corporate control of our food
Ten corporations control nearly 70% of the world's seed market, and one chemical company – Monsanto – controls 90% of the world’s GM seed market.
Increasing corporate control of Australian agriculture makes it difficult to access information about cheap and sustainable farming methods, or the safety of the food they produce. While genetic mapping can increase our understanding of nature and provide new medical tools, it should not be used as justification to turn Australia into a genetic experiment. Find out more
Removal of farmers' freedoms
Australian farmers deserve the right to choose what they grow and how they grow it, but the imposition of GM crops without adequate protection for farmers is dividing rural communities. A number of Australian grain farmers have had their crops contaminated by GM from neighbouring farms and face the loss of their income, their farm and years of hard work. What’s worse, GM seeds are patented, so instead of saving their seeds, farmers have to pay the chemical company each time they re-plant their crop, getting locked into expensive commercial contracts.