NSW farmers will be able to grow genetically modified (GM) canola
crops from March next year after the coalition supported the government's
move to overturn a four-year ban on the practice.
But the NSW Greens, who opposed the amendment bill and tried to have
it changed, have attacked The Nationals, saying the party had failed its own
constituents.

Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald last week announced the
government would overturn the ban imposed on GM canola crops in 2003.

An expert committee will also be established to assess whether the
industry is prepared and capable of segregating GM and non-GM crops.

Mr Macdonald said the move was designed to give farmers a choice and
the bill passed the upper house early on Wednesday with coalition support.

"A number of other groups have clearly supported the government's
approach," Mr Macdonald told parliament.

"It has not only been a few of us to take this decision. The National
Farmers' Federation has strongly supported the lifting of the moratorium in
NSW and Victoria."

Opposition frontbench upper house MP Duncan Gay said the bill was
sneaky but he had to support it as the ban on GM canola would expire on
March 3 without the establishment of the expert committee.

"The sneaky part of this bill is that if members are opposed to GM,
and do not want the moratorium to stop, they should be able to oppose the
bill and that would happen," Mr Gay told parliament.

"However, if we oppose this bill, all that will happen is that on
March 3 next year farmers in NSW will have carte blanche to do what they
like, as is the situation in Victoria."

Greens MP Ian Cohen tried to have the moratorium extended until July
2011 and an amendment on strict liability that he said would shift the
burden of responsibility of GM contamination onto biotech companies.

Both amendments were voted down, with the Greens failing to gain
support from the opposition or the other minor parties.

Mr Cohen said that in not offering their support, the Nationals had
failed farmers.

"It's a depressing sign of the times that the politicians elected to
represent rural NSW have so utterly abandoned their own support base - the
Nats have failed their core constituency," Mr Cohen said.

He said the introduction of GM canola crops would be a loss for
farmers, consumers and the environment.


[www.theage.com.au]