STATE Parliament has been recalled for an extra sitting week, as the State Government continues its push to end a ban on cultivating genetically modified (GM) crops.
Last week was set to be the last sitting week for the year, but a range of legislation still to be debated – including the Liberal’s bill to end the state’s long-standing GM crop moratorium – in the upper house means parliamentarians will return.
The bill was introduced to the lower house last Tuesday by primary industries minister Tim Whetstone and quickly passed, with the State Government hopeful it will pass the upper house without
amendment this week.
\In parliament last Tuesday, Mr Whetstone said the bill was about giving farmers choice and producers wishing to stay GM-free could do so.
“South Australian farmers should have access to choice in crop varieties that build resilience, both financially and in their production systems, to drought, climate variability and change,” he said.
“Farmers who do not choose to grow genetically modified crops will be able to continue to sell to non-genetically modified and organic markets, as farmers have successfully done in other states sing segregation protocols that have proven to be successful and reliable.
“Submissions from many of our state’s highly regarded research institutions have also clearly highlighted the moratorium’s negative impacts on research and development investment in South Australia.
“The independent review findings, the feedback from consultation undertaken following this review and the advice of the expert advisory committee do not provide economic grounds for retaining the moratorium.”
For it to pass, the State Government requires support from SA Best and independent MP John Darley.
A fortnight ago, SA Best joined forces with Labor to block the end to the ban, citing Mr Whetstone’s use of a ministerial order, rather than a formal bill to parliament, as the reason.
The block was slammed by local farmers, who said the parties were “playing politics” with their livelihoods.
During debate on the bill last Tuesday, opposition leader Peter Malinauskas said some South Australian businesses wanted to keep the moratorium so they could market products as GM-free.
“They see that as providing a value to their business and that it will allow them to see a premium around their product on an ongoing basis and employ people as a consequence,” he said.
“That is a legitimate concern.
“They are legitimate businesses undertaking a legitimate activity and employing people in our state.”
Grain Producers SA (GPSA) chief executive Caroline Rhodes welcomed the State Government’s push to have the bill finalised before Christmas and called on Labor and SA-Best to “put politics aside”.
“GPSA calls upon SA-Best and Labor to put politics aside, listen to the science and economic evidence, and back this long overdue reform for the benefit of regional South Australia,” she said.
“This issue needs to be settled this week to give farmers certainty for the 2020 season.
“South Australian agriculture has been unfairly stigmatised by anti-GM ideology for the past 15 years.”
