Keep Australia GM Free
In 2002, the Commonwealth Office of Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) gave Bayer and Monsanto licences to sell commercial GM canola seed throughout Australia. The licensed varieties are herbicide tolerant so the canola crop would be sprayed more often and at higher doses with toxic weed killer. They also contain foreign genes and proteins, never in the food supply before. State governments agreed with widespread warnings that GM canola would adversely impact markets and trade in Australian food products. They used their reserve powers under national laws to protect the economy by banning commercial GM canola for five years and keeping their states GM-free. The marketers of wheat, barley and milk products were among the many food businesses that added their voice to the effective public protest. The state bans on GM canola are now being reviewed. Bayer, Monsanto and the US government formed an agribusiness coalition to overturn the bans. They would begin selling GM canola seed throughout Australia from 2008. The release would be irreversible as several weeds (wild radish, wild turnip and charlock) to which canola is related grow widely in our environment. Canola and these weeds can exchange pollen and genes so the weeds would soon acquire GM herbicide tolerance and become a permanent reservoir of contamination. Public interest groups and affected GM-free businesses are working hard to keep the bans in place and need your support. A multitude of unresolved problems - health, environmental, social, and economic - require the bans to be extended for five more years, at least. Your engagement with this campaign is essential to its success - to protect the integrity and security of the human food supply from GM contamination. Please join in, on this website and in your own community. Future generations - your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren - will thank you for the GM-free future that we can create together.
Submission to the State Review
Assess the economic impacts of the state ban on commercial genetically manipulated (GM) canola
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Premier sows the seeds of destruction
Premiers John Brumby and Morris Iemma are trashing Australia’s GM-free advantage, by allowing the state’s GM canola bans to expire.
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GM canola bans - unresolved threshold issues
State and territory bans on GM food crops, including canola, should be extended for at least five years. Further research and policy development is essential to resolve various threshold issues before the bans could be lifted.
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Brumby Guts GM Crop Ban
The Brumby government guts its GM crop ban by letting Bayer Cropscience grow Genetically Manipulated (GM) herbicide tolerant canola now
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GM-free Zone Petition
An achievable goal is your local council declaring its area a GM-free Zone. Please print, fill and submit the attached petition to your council.
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Brumby's GM canola: doomed to fail
Brumby's government ignores the reasonable arguments of community groups, subverts democratic processes and arrogantly crashes-through with grandiose schemes that are doomed to fail the public.
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Brumby to extend the GM canola ban
At Noon today, hundreds of protesters from various citizen groups will rally on the steps of Parliament House. They will call on Premier Brumby to extend the ban on commercial Genetically Manipulated (GM) herbicide tolerant canola for five more years at least.
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Confirmed: GM Canola is a Weed
New Swedish research just published confirms that GM canola contamination will be permanent and irreversible
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ABARE pushes GM crops with phony stats
The latest ABARE modelling exercise "Economic Impacts of GM crops in Australia" uses false assumptions and fantasies to back Genetically Manipulated (GM) crops.
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Gene Ethics backs WA Government call on GM foods
Gene Ethics fully supports WA Premier Alan Carpenter’s call today for labels on all Genetic Manipulated (GM) foods and for all GM food approvals to stop while these unsafe foods are fully safety tested.
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Map of Victorian Canola Sites
This map shows farms where Monsanto's Roundup tolerant GM canola is reportedly being grown or is intended for planting in Victoria
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GM Canola Site Map a Public Service
Gene Ethics today published a map of commercial Genetically Manipulated (GM) canola sites at www.geneethics.org Premier Brumby refuses to set up an official GM site register.
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West Australian GM-free breakthrough today
Gene Ethics applauds Premier Alan Carpenter's announcement of a four-year extension to the WA ban on all Genetically Manipulated (GM) food and fiber crops.
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GM-free WA guaranteed if Labor is returned
The Carpenter government today made bold commitments to GM-free (no Genetically Manipulated crops). Their comprehensive GM-free policies are a bonanza for WA food and farming industries.
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Map of NSW Canola Sites
This map shows farms where Monsanto's Roundup tolerant GM canola is reportedly being grown or is intended for planting in New South Wales
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NSW GM site Map Published Today
Gene Ethics' map of Genetically Manipulated Roundup tolerant canola sites and GM canola depots in NSW was published today with information gleaned from media reports.
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Strong backing for GM-free in Victorian council elections
162 candidates for election to 47 Victorian councils back GM-free policies. Gene Ethics' 4,000 constituents will support them and GM-free policies.
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GM Canola Contamination at Horsham
GM Cropwatch's Jessica Harrison today found Genetically Manipulated (GM) canola plants heaped up on the roadside near the Natimuk/Rudolph's Rd junction, 5 minutes from Horsham. Galahs were also seen feasting on GM canola last week.
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Community Cleanup of GM canola contamination at Horsham
Angry growers will do a Community Cleanup of GM canola contamination at 11am Thursday November 27, to quarantine plants and seed on roadsides near Horsham.
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GM Cropwatch visits Lubeck
GM CROPWATCH is monitoring roadsides and railway lines in the Horsham area this week. Cropwatch technician Jessica Harrison is testing canola and related weeds for GM contamination.
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GM Canola has Wings
GM Cropwatch technician Jessica Harrison photographed pink and grey galahs feasting on a GM canola crop near the Horsham-Natimuk Road on Friday
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Australia-wide public forums: GM crops - the benefits and risks Hear first hand experiences from Canada and the USA
With Genetically Manipulated (GM) canola grown last year in Victoria and NSW, farmers are deciding if GM canola will be good or bad to grow. North American farmers will tell you about the possible benefits and risks of GM crops and answer your questions on corporate influence, segregation failures, legal issues and the effect on markets.
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Map of WA Canola Sites
This map shows farms where Monsanto's Roundup tolerant GM canola is reportedly being grown or is intended for planting in Western Australia
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GM Canola Segregation Lies Unravel
BULK grain handler GrainCorp will mix Genetically Manipulated (GM) and non-GM canola varieties together from now on. After just one season, the GM industry has scrapped its pretence that GM and non-GM canola can and will be segregated.
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Tasmanian GM Ban Makes Sense
The Tasmanian Government ban until 2014 on Genetically Manipulated (GM) crops, animals and microbes has the support of all political parties and the community. It is an economic winner for the state
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GM Canola Growing in Melbourne Suburb
Gene Ethics' supporters will picket the first confirmed GM canola site in suburban Melbourne, at Berwick at 10am today. The GM crop is growing on property owned by the family of State Opposition leader Ted Baillieu.
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Give back Monsanto’s GM canola growing wild in Victoria
Gene Ethics’ activists will hand back Monsanto’s Genetically Manipulated (GM) canola to Agricultural Minister Joe Helper and Monsanto at the GM ‘coexistence’ conference being held at Melbourne’s Convention Centre today. The GM canola was found growing wild on roadsides in Victoria and New South Wales and collected by GM Cropwatch.
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ISAAA reports less GM crops in 2009
The annual GM industry-funded survey of global GM crops, by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agro-biotech Applications (ISAAA), shows 7 of the 25 GM countries grew less genetically manipulated (GM) crops in 2009. No more countries adopted GM and just 2.7% of global agricultural land was used for GM soy, corn, canola and cotton.
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Review set to weaken food labelling
There is a real danger that the national food labelling review could further weaken our lax labelling laws in the interests of trade. The Review received 6,000 submissions in the first round of comment last November, despite just three weeks notice. The lack of full labelling of genetically manipulated (GM) foods was one of the issues most often raised.
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WA risks to GM-free markets in Europe and Japan
In a letter dated February 26 (attached), three European grain traders tell WA Premier Barnett they will not buy WA grain if GM canola is grown. Barnett and Agriculture Minister Redman hid this letter from the Lower House during the disallowance debate on March 10.
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EU Grain Traders to Barnett 260210 1
EU grain traders express their need for GM-free grain ahead of no-confidence motion debated in WA Parliament. WA Agriculture Minister Terry Redman did not refer to letter in the debate.
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Food Fears - labelling, GM and FSANZ
This investigative piece on ABC Radio National's Background Briefing on called Food Fears has GM as a focus: There's a public inquiry into food labelling, and it opens a Pandora's box of very complex issues. Prawns from China can be labelled 'Made in Australia'! Consumers want more and better labelling, but the food industry wants even fewer rules. And global free trade laws mean truth in content could get worse. Reporter Stephen Crittenden.http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2010/04/bbg_20100418.mp3
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/stories/2010/2871237.htm
EU grain traders letter to WA Govt on GM
Three EU grain traders tell WA Premier Barnett he risks losing EU markets if WA starts growing GM canola.
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Consumers Union of Japan warns WA Govt
Premier Barnett must stop commercial GM canola or Japanese food co-operatives will buy GM-free canola from other states. The letter argues GM contamination is inevitable.
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EU grain traders letter to WA Govt
Three EU grain traders tell WA Premier Barnett he risks losing EU markets if WA starts growing GM canola.
EU grain traders letter to WA Govt
Three EU grain traders tell WA Premier Barnett he risks losing EU markets if WA starts growing GM canola.
Food Labelling Review must back GM food labels
April 29: Gene Ethics will give evidence to National Food Labelling Review hearings today in Melbourne. We will ask for all foods made using genetic manipulation (GM) techniques to be labelled, without any exemptions.
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Food, Inc review - SBS's At The Movies
Margaret says: ..."It looks at the stories of a woman whose two year old son died of E-Coli poisoning after eating a hamburger; a Latino couple who simply can't afford to buy healthy food because it's dearer than junk food; and a small farmer sued by a giant company for wanting to use his own seed for planting; the company owns the rights to genetically modified soybeans".
http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2879962.htm
GM-free videos - great new online resource
GMWatch has pulled together a fantastic resource of GM-free videos.
It lists editor's picks, including the full-length doco movie, The World According to Monsanto and a wonderful film about the troubles of Bt cotton and the effects on the poor.
Search via category such as corporations, food safety etc or according to food/crop or speaker.
http://www.gmwatch.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12211
Food labelling review Gene Ethics submission - late 2009
This submission was made during the first public consultation round in November 2009.
It notes GM foods are among those new ‘Foods Requiring Pre-Market Clearance’ in Standard 1.5. Novel, GM and irradiated foods must undergo FSANZ pre-market health and safety assessments (not testing) as they contain materials and/or manufacturing processes that have no history of safe use in the human food supply. Their novelty and the under-developed safety science, means these foods pose unique risks, not associated with foods that have longer histories of safe use. Australia’s food regulator, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), acknowledges lack of certainty about the products of new food technologies, by often amending their scientific data sheets on these foods.
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Food labelling review Gene Ethics submission - late 2009
This submission was made during the first public consultation round in November 2009.
It notes GM foods are among those new ‘Foods Requiring Pre-Market Clearance’ in Standard 1.5. Download the standards. Novel, GM and irradiated foods must undergo FSANZ pre-market health and safety assessments (not testing) as they contain materials and/or manufacturing processes that have no history of safe use in the human food supply. Their novelty and the under-developed safety science, means these foods pose unique risks, not associated with foods that have longer histories of safe use. Australia’s food regulator, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), acknowledges lack of certainty about the products of new food technologies, by often amending their scientific data sheets on these foods.
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Out of Hand - Farmers Face the Consequences of a Consolidated Seed Industry
US report, December 2009, by FARMER to FARMER Campaign on Genetic Engineering, author Kristina Hubbard.
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Out of Hand - Farmers Face the Consequences of a Consolidated Seed Industry - excerpts
US report, December 2009, by FARMER to FARMER Campaign on Genetic Engineering, author Kristina Hubbard.
Monsanto vs US Farmers
The US Government is investigating Monsanto for anti-trust behaviour.
Attached is a short report into the issues by the Center for Food Safety.
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GM-free local councils brief
This document can be used as a basis to start the process of declaring your council a GM-free zone. Includes history and case studies.
Once a council or business is GM-free it can register on our Google map.
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A role for Local Government GM-free Zones: Why & How
Locally and regionally, shires, towns and cities can help keep Australia free of
Genetically Manipulated (GM) crops and foods.
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GM-FREE ZONE PETITION
Download this generic petition to get your council to go GM-free.
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Submissions invited on GM cotton application
FSANZ INVITES PUBLIC COMMENT ON FOOD FROM GM COTTON
Application A1040 Food derived from insect-protected and herbicide-tolerant cotton line GHB119
Submissions should reach FSANZ by Monday 16 August 2010.
World According to Monsanto media information
Five-page media release on the book by Australian publisher Spinifex Press. Includes excerpts and a glossary.
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World According to Monsanto media information
Five-page media release on the book by Australian publisher Spinifex Press. Includes excerpts from the book and a glossary.
Rural R&D Productivity Inquiry comments
This succinct submission provides a good summary into GM R&D that has failed to yield, scientific debate being stifled, the problems of increased control over our seeds in the hands of a few and the threat of food scarcity exacerbated by climate change in an environment where industrial agriculture with rising input prices is increasingly unsustainable.
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Glyphosate-resistant weeds in Australia
Chris Preston, Associate Professor in Weed Management at the University of Adelaide, and chair of the Glyphosate Sustainability Working Group, tells ABC Radio National the problems with weeds developing to this popular herbicide used with GM crops.
He says it takes about 15 years for the resistance to develop and has been a problem for some time in the United States. More...
GM farmers revealed on our new map
Gene Ethics has launched an online map to help non-GM growers pinpoint those farms where genetically manipulated canola is growing, after the State Government broke its promise to publish a map of all GM farms.