Posted 16th July 2001

Tasmania Shows Way
By Andrew Darby in Hobart (Photo shows Primary Industries Minister, Mr David Llewellyn)

Tasmania is set to extend its ban on genetically modified crops for at least another two years, and wants to eventually declare itself permanently GM-free. The Government believes there is no advantage to Tasmanian farmers growing the current range of GM crops, and strong benefit to the island's export image in rejecting them. An existing 13-month moratorium that declares GM crops a noxious weed under the State's quarantine powers will be extended.

The Government is also confident of obtaining approval to declare itself permanently GM-free, if it chooses, under new Federal-State GM regulations. The Primary Industries Minister, Mr David Llewellyn, said he was confident State Cabinet would support the extended moratorium and other recommendations, based on advice released this week by a parliamentary select committee and an expert advisory panel. The tough new stance yesterday won backing from farmers and the Greens. The main national GM agriculture companies were unable to comment. Tasmania is the only State to have banned GM crops, although it was threatened earlier this year when extensive re-growth was detected from 11 old canola trials, breaching voluntary federal guidelines. Mr Llewellyn said vigilance was still needed to clean up the breaches and ensure there had been no lasting contamination. The Government will also examine if legislation is needed to penalise any GM seed contamination of GM-free crops. "Tasmania's key markets do not want us to produce GM foods," Mr Llewellyn said. "We need to be very careful to protect our clean, green brand image." To opt out of national regulations and declare itself permanently GM-free, Tasmania would need agreement from other States and the Commonwealth under policy principles of the Gene Technology Act 2000. "All the information to date is that [they] will support that," Mr Llewellyn said.

But there are signs Tasmania wants the option of allowing GM non-food crops to be grown in the medium term, particularly for its $250 million pharmaceutical opium poppy industry. Poppy growers will be able to continue controlled field trials. The experts' panel said there was potential to run parallel systems of GM-free food crops and GM poppies, if risks were properly managed. Non-food crops will be included in the moratorium for at least two years. A big risk inherent in such an approach was contamination of the Tasmanian marketing image, Greens MP Ms Peg Putt said. She backed the consensus report of the parliamentary committee, but argued for a longer moratorium, and said research should be in contained laborarories.

The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association's spokesman, Mr Rod Thirkell-Johnston, said a product-by-product approach was essential. "We realise there are no commercial crops out there that have any advantage for Tasmania in the short term," he said. But the association was concerned about the potential for litigation if the Government encouraged legal redress for GM contamination. When asked if Tasmania's process had shown potential for other states to go GM-free, Mr Llewellyn said: "I would recommend this process to any of the other States, quite frankly.. .

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