GENETICALLY modified (GM) crops are once again a source of debate in State Parliament, after one legislative council member moved to reintroduce a ban on their cultivation, while another introduced new legislation to unlock them for farmers.
A 15-year moratorium on cultivating GM crops was lifted late last year by new State Government regulations, after two earlier attempts to end the ban were blocked by the upper house.
The State Government wanted to give farmers the chance to plant GM crops ahead of the New Year, with the ban officially lifted from January 1.
As the ban was ended by a government regulation, it can be ruled out with a disallowance motion, which Greens legislative council member Mark Parnell introduced on Wednesday.
Speaking to the motion, he criticised the State Government for again attempting to end the ban without introducing a bill to parliament.
“The government has now introduced a bill. I do not like the bill, but it is certainly a better process to follow,” he said.
“It is the correct process, but the uncertainty that is created by the government’s deliberate thumbing of its nose at parliament has not been lost on farmers.
“Even Grain Producers SA has been advising its members that the lifting of the moratorium may be short-lived and that they should seriously consider the consequences of planting GM crops.”
Debate on the motion was adjourned and will resume on Wednesday, March 4, but it has the backing of SA-BEST, which introduced its own legislation to end the ban.
SA-BEST legislative council member Frank Pangallo, who helped block the Liberals’ two bids to end the ban last year, introduced the private members bill on Thursday.
The bill would introduce regulations for a 10m buffer zone between GM and non-GM growing properties, a requirement for farmers to give 60-days’ notice of their intention to grow GM crops and give powers for non-GM growers to request an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspection if they believe their crop has been contaminated.
Mr Pangallo said the bill is designed to allow farming of all crops to “co-exist”.
“SA-BEST’s position on GM crops has been very clear - we fully support the introduction of GM crops, but it needs to be fair for everyone involved,” he said.
“We support farmers’ and their rights to choose to grow the crops of their choosing – but there needs to be choice, flexibility, compromise and protections for GM and non-GM producers.
“We believe our Bill has the necessary safeguards while not hindering the introduction of GM in South Australia – along with encouraging investment in agriculture in this state and promoting our world-leading research in the area of biotechnology.”
In response to the Greens and SA-BEST’s moves, Grain
Producers SA chief executive Caroline Rhodes said growers have “had enough of the political game”.
“Growers on mainland South Australia just want to see the GM ban lifted so they can have the freedom of choice to access the crops which best suit their farming systems,” she said.
“Whether that happens through regulations or legislation is
ultimately up to the Parliament to decide, but South Australian growers just want access to the same world-leading genetics as farmers interstate.”