GM crops pass another hurdle
Regulations allowing genetically-modified crops to be grown in South Australia have been gazetted - but a disallowance motion could still throw a spanner in the works.
SA Business
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA Business. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- GM crop plans could be thwarted by Greens bill
- Prizes, discounts, freebies: Check out the latest subscriber rewards
The State Government gazetted new regulations to lift the genetically-modified crop moratorium in Parliament yesterday afternoon, following a six-week statutory consultation period.
It means farmers will be able to grow GM crops from December 1, as long as there is no successful disallowance motion. The only exception would be on Kangaroo Island, which has a niche marketing system in place for its GM-free canola.
More than half of the submissions made during the six-week consultation supported the new regulations, at 59 per cent, with 128 submitters in favour of the immediate removal of the GM moratorium on the SA mainland.
One submission was in favour of lifting the moratorium across the whole state including Kangaroo Island, 74 submitters opposed the proposal and a further 15 submissions opposed, but the reasoning tendered was out of the scope of the legislation.
Primary Industries Minister Tim Whetstone said the new regulations will mean South Australian farmers have the same choices to use new and improved crop varieties as those interstate.
He said with the regulations set to come into effect on December 1, it would to allow producers to make decisions about their crops for the 2020 season.
Mr Whetstone said the State Government had a strong reform agenda to strengthen the state’s economy and this decision would be an enabler to grow the agriculture sector.
“We are committed to supporting the $2 billion South Australian grains industry to be vibrant, productive and competitive,” he said.
An independent review found the GM moratorium has cost South Australian grain growers at least $33 million since 2004, and will cost farmers at least a further $5 million if extended to 2025.
MORE NEWS
Regional town’s water prices set to triple Adelaide’s cost
Rex opens up cheap airfares to Port Lincoln
“The moratorium was also found to have discouraged public and private investment in agricultural research and development,” Mr Whetstone said.
“As a result of the independent report’s findings and majority support of the public consultation, it is time to lift the moratorium on the mainland and allow farmers the opportunity to make informed choices about what to sow, based on their individual businesses and specific conditions.”
Mr Whetstone said with four Parliamentary sitting weeks prior to December 1, when the moratorium is set to be lifted, there’s ample time for Parliamentary scrutiny of the regulations.
Grain Producers SA chief executive Caroline Rhodes welcomed the Government’s gazettal of the amendments to the Genetically Modified Crops Management Regulations, saying it’s the next step in a sensible transition to providing freedom of choice to growers on SA’s mainland.
“Restricting the moratorium to Kangaroo Island supports the findings of the independent review conducted by Professor Kym Anderson,” she said.
“The Minister is applying the law as intended by the former Labor Government.
“GPSA calls on all parliamentarians to support these changes and to take the politics out of agronomy so our farmers can grow the crops which best suit their own farming systems.”