By Michael Hopkin


Genetically modified wheat could be next for WA farmers, with the crop
scientist who owns the rights to frost-tolerant wheat saying he would
consider a fresh bid to bring it to commercial trials.


Agricultural consultant Bill Crabtree, whose firm Green BluePrint holds the
WA rights to the technology, said frost-tolerant wheat could protect farmers
from weather damage worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Mr Crabtree said he lost about $70,000 in a previous attempt to develop the
product, and would only relaunch it if enough WA farmers favoured the idea.

His comments came after farmers? groups urged Agriculture Minister Terry
Redman to license a wider range of GM crops. This week, Mr Redman approved
commercial trials of GM canola at 20 sites in the Wheatbelt. He has also
given the go-ahead for growing GM cotton in the Ord River region.

A spokesman for Mr Redman said WA was not planning to approve any other crop
species besides canola and cotton.

Mr Crabtree said it would take at least six years to develop frost-resistant
wheat. ?We would really be talking eight years before we get plants released
into the field,? he said.
www.checkbiotech.org