Posted on 18-2-2002
Australian
Councils Ban GM
By Stefanie Balogh, The Australian, February 14, 2002
A GROWING number of local councils are forging ahead with moves
to outlaw
genetically modified crop trials despite the industry ridiculing
the bans
as unenforceable.
Rosalie Shire Council, in Queensland's Darling Downs food cradle,
is the
latest of about 30 local governments across the nation to pass
a resolution
declaring itself a GM-free zone. While these councils have moved
to ban
trials, this cannot be enforced because they have no legislative
backing
from state governments. Rosalie Shire Mayor Noel Strohfeld was
pushing the
Queensland Department of Local Government and Planning to alter
state laws
to allow official GM-free zones. But so far no states have taken
that step.
South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria have all released
discussion papers on the issue. Victoria rejected the zones
last year.
Tasmania, however, has introduced a two-year moratorium on GM
crops. "We
were worried about the environmental risks and especially in
transferring
genes between species -- animals and plants, that sort of thing
. . . it
could open up a Pandora's box," Mr Strohfeld said. "We feel
if there is
something we do overlook now, it could start a chain reaction
catastrophe
that perhaps the world is not ready for."
Greg Hallam, chief executive officer of the Local Government
Association of
Queensland, said his association had "steered well clear of
it" and did not
have a policy or view on GM-free zones. [the Local Government
Association
in the UK supports the Five-Year-Freeze] "Our legal advice is
they can't do
it under the existing law. You have to have the laws changed,"
Mr Hallam said.
Brian Arnst, spokesman for GM-company Monsanto, said he would
be
"surprised" if any state government agreed to pass legislation
allowing
council areas to claim GM-free status.
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