Monsanto may fight GM contaminated organic farmer

A West Australian organic farmer is in limbo, awaiting state government test results and facing genetic manipulation giant Monsanto's legal wrath. Steve Marsh's organic farm has been decertified over GM canola contamination from a neighbour's farm.

Use research to drought-proof our farms and protect our food security - we speak at Govt inquiry

Healthy economies are based on healthy rural ecologies and communities and they're not produced in corporate laboratories

In his concise oral evidence to the Productivity Commission's inquiry into rural R&D, Gene Ethics director Bob Phelps considers a range of topics, including the role of farmers as custodians of our land, the need for sustainable agriculture as limits to our growth increases the cost of oil-dependent and phosphate-limited resources, superweeds resulting from overuse of Monsanto's herbicide Roundup, the buy-up of public assets by biotechnology multinationals and the fact that most Australians are directly fed not by the production of mass-produced food commodities for export by a minority of large-scale farmers but by that 80 per cent of farmers, who produce clean, green food for consumption within Australia.

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GM-free scorecard, Victoria

Survey showing the major political parties' position on a number of GM issues, ahead of the Victorian state election later this month.

GRDC investment analysis of research, development and extension issues in Australian grain farming systems

Gene Ethics comments on the Grains and Research Development Corporation issues paper: Research, Development and Extension in Australian Grain Farming Systems.

GM Soy: Sustainable? Responsible?

Report by Professor Carrasco et al.

GM Soy: Sustainable? Responsible? Key Points

Summary of key points of report lead by Professor Carrasco.

Socialist Alliance survey response and Agriculture policies

The Socialist Alliance filled in our survey ahead of the 2010 federal election and attached their Agriculture policies.

Greens survey response and GM policies

The Greens filled in our survey ahead of the 2010 federal election and attached their comprehensive GM policies from November 2009.

Parties' report card for federal election

We compare the parties' survey responses on GM ahead of the 2010 federal election.

Coalition federal election response

The Coalition did not fill in our survey but responded in a letter.

ALP federal election response

The ALP responded to some of our survey questions in a letter.

Africa: Genetic Manipulation is not the answer

Gene Ethics Executive Director Bob Phelps explains how GM will not feed the world. He demonstrates how the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other organisations in Africa are in effect furthering colonisation via food rather than giving developing nations what they crave: self-sufficient, sustainable food production.

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Being scared of GM. An enviro scientist responds to a science writer

A response to Graeme O’Neill’s “GM scare hots up”, Science Watch, Sunday Herald Sun, 29.12.2002, p30]

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Victoria's Draft Biodiversity Strategy

Genetically Manipulated Organisms: real threats to Victorian biodiversity. The international Biosafety Protocol was negotiated because of the threat GM poses to diversity and the Victorian biodiversity strategy must also consider the dangers of GMOs.

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OGTR Proposed Regulatory Amendments comments

The proposed regulatory amendments are substantial and raise serious safety concerns. The OGTR’s proposed amendments and discussion are insufficiently supported by evidence.

Comments on the Licence Application DIR 098 for commercial release of a living GM Vaccine

Gene Ethics recommends that the application DIR 098 by SANOFI PASTEUR PTY LTD for the commercial release of a living Genetically Manipulated (GM) Vaccine be rejected. 

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WA GM Canola Growers 2010 - List

List of WA GM Canola growers 2010

WA GM Canola Growers 2010 - Map

Map of WA GM Canola growers 2010

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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GM-FREE ZONE PETITION

Download this generic petition to get your council to go GM-free.

Council Kit

STAYING GM-FREE - A Resource Kit for Local Action.

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.

Download pdf.

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.

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.

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.

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.

2010 Campaign for GM-free poultry

"Tell Coles you want GM-free poultry products".

GM soy infant formula - let's get it labelled

2010 campaign for the right to know if infant formula conatins GM ingredients.

Lobby Against GM Wheat in WA -2010

Lobbying for wheat research to stay in public hands.

EU grain traders letter to WA Govt

Consumers Union of Japan warns WA Govt