Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I congratulate the member for McMillan for listening so carefully to his local community and for working so hard. This is obviously a very big issue in the electorate of McMillan. The issue of genetic modification, otherwise known as GM food, is also a sensitive one in my electorate of La Trobe. As my electorate is the neighbour to Macmillan, you can imagine this. I have been contacted by many constituents angered by the lack of public debate on GM crops. I therefore support the call of the member for McMillan for the government to conduct an independent, broad-ranging scientific investigation into the genetic modification of food and biotechnology and to assess not only the health of the crops and the food but also the potential for contamination, the commercial implications for Australian primary industries and the benefits and risks associated with genetically modified organisms. Until Australian consumers can be confident of the safety of GM foods, these foods should not be produced or sold in Australia. We need an urgent review.

In my electorate of La Trobe is the Yarra Ranges Shire Council, which has been instrumental in raising public awareness about the potential dangers of GM food. La Trobe is home to several diverse agricultural industries, from orchards and vineyards in the south to livestock grazing in the west. Contamination from GM crops would be disastrous for these industries. The decision of the Victorian government to lift the moratorium on the cultivation of genetically modified crops threatens Australia’s primary industries, particularly organic agriculture. Farmer groups, such as the Berwick farmers market—and I congratulate them for putting on a fantastic market, held in my electorate of La Trobe, on the fourth Saturday of every month—celebrate organic and farm fresh produce. GM contamination of their crops would spell the end of this organic food market.

Contamination can occur in many ways: wind can carry GM organisms from a GM farmer’s crop to a non-GM farmer’s crop or organic produce could come into contact with materials that have previously come into contact with GM produce, such as machinery or grain storage facilities. Once the supply chain has been breached, farmers cannot market their food as organic again. Even more alarming is that such breaches can have legal consequences for farmers as well. As most genetically modified crops are patented, farmers of non-GM crops can potentially be sued for patent infringement and theft of intellectual property if they are found to be cultivating crops with GM organisms belonging to another farmer, even if the cultivation was unintentional. This actually happened to Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser, who was successfully sued by biotechnology firm Monsanto for patent breaches of GM canola. Even with 10-kilometre buffer zones surrounding GM farms, there is no fail-safe way to protect GM-free crops against contamination. Seeds can be carried tens of kilometres by wind.

Supporters of genetic modification argue that GM food can eradicate world hunger by drought-proofing crops and making them disease resistant, increasing yields. While there is certainly evidence to suggest that GM has benefits for overall crop yield, it cannot be ignored that almost one-third of all GM maize grown in the United States is used for ethanol production. The maize needed to produce only 95 litres of ethanol would feed one person for a year. When considered in this context, it suggests that the impetus for cultivation of GM crops is not eradication of world hunger. Despite indications that GM crops could prove more profitable than non-GM crops, fears about the potential health risks posed by GM foods mean there is a high demand for non-GM products throughout Europe and Asia. Tasmanian canola farmers recently secured a lucrative contract to supply Japan with GM-free canola, proving that farmers can choose to remain GM free without compromising the profitability of their yield.

While there are many arguments supporting the cultivation of genetically modified crops, the simple fact is that a long-term study needs to be done in Australia to ensure they are safe. Finally, I am not opposed to GM crops, but I want a correct and proper review to make sure everything is done to ensure that these products are actually safe to be used in Australia and to help Australians without endangering our agricultural industry.

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