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Greenpeace activists unfurl a banner on Melbourne's iconic Flinders Street railway station, sending a strong message to Premier Brumby on his controversial decision to lift the ban on genetically engineered (GE) food crops.
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The banner under the station's clock tower reads, ‘Time’s Up Brumby – Keep Victoria GE Free’. Victoria’s ban on genetically engineered (GE) food crops expires on 29 February.
Says Greenpeace genetic engineering campaigner, Rebecca Hubbard, “Victoria is running out of time before it loses its GE free status. GE crops pose unacceptable risks to human health, the environment and the economy. All state and federal governments should act unanimously to keep GE crops out of our fields and our food.”
Polls show that Australian farmers, food businesses and consumers want to stay GE-free. Greenpeace demands Premier Brumby extend the GE food crop ban for at least five more years. We are also calling for liability legislation to protect farmers and consumers from unwanted GE contamination.
The Victorian and New South Wales governments recently announced they will lift their bans on GE food crops. South Australia is pending a decision. GE canola is the first GE food crop approved for commercial release in Australia. The crop has been rejected by other major canola producers, such as the EU and China, and is now only grown in Canada and the US.
Like cane toads, the release of GE canola would be irreversible. GE canola crops can cross state borders and contaminate non-GE canola crops. This removes choice from farmers who want to remain GE-free. Attempts at segregation in Canada were abandoned after a couple of years and now nearly all Canadian canola is marketed as GE.
A recent report released by the Network of Concerned Farmers, calculated that if GE canola is grown commercially in Australia it will cost Australian farmers hundreds of millions of dollars, with an unjust economic loss to be faced by non-GE farmers of over $65 million a year. Recent polls show that only 27.6% of Australian farmers want to grow GE grain crops and the majority of Australian consumers don’t want to eat them. Over 250 Australian companies have recently spoken out against GE crops, including Australia’s biggest end user of canola, Goodman Fielder, Australia’s largest lamb exporter, Tatiara Meats, and the independent supermarket chain, Foodland.
Says Greenpeace genetic engineering campaigner, Rebecca Hubbard, “Victoria is running out of time before it loses its GE free status. GE crops pose unacceptable risks to human health, the environment and the economy. All state and federal governments should act unanimously to keep GE crops out of our fields and our food.”
Polls show that Australian farmers, food businesses and consumers want to stay GE-free. Greenpeace demands Premier Brumby extend the GE food crop ban for at least five more years. We are also calling for liability legislation to protect farmers and consumers from unwanted GE contamination.
States lifting GE ban
The Victorian and New South Wales governments recently announced they will lift their bans on GE food crops. South Australia is pending a decision. GE canola is the first GE food crop approved for commercial release in Australia. The crop has been rejected by other major canola producers, such as the EU and China, and is now only grown in Canada and the US.
Irreversible decision
Like cane toads, the release of GE canola would be irreversible. GE canola crops can cross state borders and contaminate non-GE canola crops. This removes choice from farmers who want to remain GE-free. Attempts at segregation in Canada were abandoned after a couple of years and now nearly all Canadian canola is marketed as GE.
Read the report, GE Canola Out Of Control in Canada
The Canadian export market to Europe collapsed when GE canola was introduced, with Australia picking up its share of this market.Unjust economic loss
A recent report released by the Network of Concerned Farmers, calculated that if GE canola is grown commercially in Australia it will cost Australian farmers hundreds of millions of dollars, with an unjust economic loss to be faced by non-GE farmers of over $65 million a year. Recent polls show that only 27.6% of Australian farmers want to grow GE grain crops and the majority of Australian consumers don’t want to eat them. Over 250 Australian companies have recently spoken out against GE crops, including Australia’s biggest end user of canola, Goodman Fielder, Australia’s largest lamb exporter, Tatiara Meats, and the independent supermarket chain, Foodland.
