So should there be a GM Wheat trial in Australia?
The whole concept of genetically modification is what is known as a trigger. People are either for it or against it and there are very few in between.
As a Food Technologist, I can see that there are some very distinct and brilliant reasons why GM is a thing that should be happening as with fruit and vegetables, it can significantly reduce the amount of chemicals used in their growth. This includes much less pesticide. GM also gives qualities to food that can be incredibly beneficial to humans. There was some GM done on rice some time ago that resulted in a product containing Vitamin A. This has the potential to reduce the deficiency in Vitamin A in some parts of the world where rice is a major part of the diet.
However the down side of the whole GM thing is not the potential safety or quality issues associated with the modified foods, it is who actually owns the patent on the new foods and what they do with it.
There are some modified crops that can now only be grown from seed that is supplied annually be the owner of the patent of that particular type of crop. This means that farmers cannot have the benefits without purchasing those specific seeds. This limits markets and companies within them and is not good for anyone in the long term.
The other issue that is linked to this, is the pollination of the flowers of these crops by bees and then the cross pollination of flowers in neighbouring no GM crop paddocks. This creates a lot of potential legal issues about who owns what and what they can do with it.
In Australia there are only a few GM crops permitted to be grown and sold, and if there are in any food, there needs to be clear labelling saying so.
It is the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) that manages GM within this country and no company can have any GM crops or produce being grown or trialled without it’s permission and approval.
Recently the Victorian Department of Primary Industries has put in an application to run a field trial on up to 40 varieties of wheat. The application states that the trial is necessary to determine and “evaluate the agronomic performance of the GM wheat under field conditions”. The application states that the trial will occur in only two seasons between November 2013 and December 2015 and will cover an area of no more than two hectares per season. It also states that the wheat produced will not be used for animal or human food.
A consultation Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan (RARMP) has been developed by OGTR and it has invited written submissions about it. The RARMP can be obtained from the Regulator’s website.
Interested parties should quote DIR 122 in any correspondence.
Submissions about this application should be received by OGTR by close of business on 20 September 2013.
This article has been written by Rachelle Williams – The Green Food Safety Coach