Two Australian States to Lift Ban on GM Canola

New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria announced that they were ending their four-year ban on growing genetically modified (GM) canola. The decision is expected to put Victoria and NSW farmers in a level playing field with GM canola-growing countries. New South Wales is scheduled to lift its ban sometime next month, while Victoria's Premier John Brumby said that farmers would be allowed to plant GM canola when the state ban expires in February. Federal laws have approved GM canola use in Australia since 2003, but state bans have outlawed its cultivation nationwide.

NSW primary industries minister Ian Macdonald said that farmers have been missing export opportunities in Canada and the US. He said that “market conditions have changed, with GM canola now responsible for 70 percent of the world's trade.” A panel, headed by Gustav Nossal, has recently reviewed the economic impact of removing the ban on the commercial planting of GM canola in Victoria. Nossal pointed out that this decision will benefit the state, over the next eight years, with an additional $115 million of economic activity. Two other canola-producing states, South Australia and Tasmania, are currently reviewing their GM canola moratoria.

Read more at http://www.grdc.com.au/director/events/researchupdates/?item_id=7FFD73D0D3154D8F96E94C25FAD23887