The Guardian 27 February, 2008
Japanese activists warn on GE crops
Japanese activists have projected a warning to Australia on a banner on a grain silo and a ship carrying genetically engineered (GE) canola : "Australia — stay GM free!"
A 2006 government poll showed that 78 percent of Japanese consumers are unsure about the impacts of eating GE food. In 2007, a group representing 2.9 million Japanese consumers travelled to Australia, urging state governments to extend their GE food crop bans.
A massive 80 per cent of Australia’s canola exports went to Japan last year. Protecting farmers’ export markets is a persuasive reason why Australian states must stay GE-free. The experience from Canada shows that:
contamination of non-GE crops is inevitable wherever GE crops are grown;
markets will be lost if Australia goes GE.
The messages on the cargo ship and silo appear just days after the South Australian government agreed to keep its ban on growing GE food crops due to potential loss of markets like Japan. However the NSW and Victorian governments plan to lift the GE food crop bans this year.
Says Greenpeace Japan GE Campaigner Sachiyo Tanahashi: "Australia is Japan’s main source of GE-free canola and Japanese companies will now have to look elsewhere for a non-GE product. We don’t understand why Australian farmers would want to grow a product that consumers are rejecting all over the world."
Learning from Canada’s loss
Another important market for Australia’s canola is Europe. When Canada started growing GE canola, it lost its entire canola seed export market to Europe. The same thing would likely happen to Australia if it grew GE canola. Australia’s GE-free status gives Australian canola preferential market access and premiums.
"GE canola is impossible to control. In Japan we have wild GE canola growing on our wharves and roadsides as weeds, due to the transport of Canadian seeds for crushing," said Sachiyo Tanahashi, "The introduction of GE canola to Australia would remove choice for both farmers and consumers who want to remain GE-free."
Greenpeace calls on the NSW and Victorian governments to protect Australia’s GE free reputation and export markets and extend their GE food crop bans for at least five years and for all states to adopt liability legislation to protect farmers and consumers from unwanted GE contamination.