Australian farmers welcome report on GE

SYDNEY - Australia's main farm group, the National Farmers' Federation, welcomes a report by a parliamentary committee giving the all-clear to genetically engineered foods.

Federation executive director Wendy Craik described the report as "reasonably positive" on gene technology.

She noted that the report, by the Primary Industries and Regional Services Committee, was positive on GE foods so long as there was a strong focus on an independent, accountable and appropriately funded regulator.

The federation supported that because if consumers were not happy, gene technology would "not go anywhere," she said.

GE crops were given a clean bill of health by an Australian parliamentary inquiry after a 15-month investigation. But the committee also called for tougher regulation and independent monitoring of the technology.

Australia's farm sector, which exports about $A22 billion a year of grains, sugar, beef, wool, cotton, canola, dairy produce and other food products, stands to reap major gains from use of gene technology through productivity increases and reduced costs of production.

But it is warily watching both sensitive consumer reactions to GE crops worldwide as well as moves into GE crop production by its international competitors.

Cotton is Australia's only significant commercial GE crop at present, but trials are under way into 21 other GE crops, including canola, clover, field peas, wheat, barley, sugarcane and lupins. Canola will almost certainly be Australia's next major GE crop, with production expected to start in 2002.

A spokesman for the Australian Food Council also welcomed the parliamentary committee's all-clear on GE foods.

It similarly welcomed a report by the Australia New Zealand Food Authority, which has released five reports for public comment on GE corn, cotton, canola and soybeans.

The authority said on Monday that all the scientific data before it indicated that GE foods under assessment had all the benefits of corresponding conventional foods and no additional risks.

The parliamentary committee identified risks associated with genetically engineered organisms, but supported their introduction as long as an independent regulatory process was adopted.

While not bringing commercial production of GE crops closer, the parliamentary committee's report underlined the importance of having the right regulatory framework in place, Ms Craik said.

It did not authorise the production of new GE crops, but was another step along the way towards their introduction.

The report also underlined the fact that there was still much consumer uncertainty over the issue, she said.

- REUTERS

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