New pro-GM booklet launched

A booklet addressing gene technology issues was launched this week by Agrifood Awareness Australia - an industry alliance dedicated to increasing public awareness of gene technology.

The booklet, Gene Technology in Australia - Fact not Fiction, was launched in Perth at the AGM of the Western Australian Farmers' Federation.

It aims to provide information about the use of gene technology in agriculture and food in an easy-to-read format for consumers, according to its authors.

"This booklet is designed to present gene technology information in an easy-to-read format, particularly for those who have little knowledge about farming practices," said Paula Fitzgerald, Executive Manager of Agrifood Awareness Australia, at the launch.

Fitzgerald told farmers at the launch that gene technology was important to Australian agricultural practice.

"Gene technology is having, and will continue to have, a large impact on Australia's farming community," she said, explaining that while only two GM crops were currently commercially available in Australia - cotton and carnations - other crops such as GM canola were being trialled.

Fitzgerald warned farmers that GM-free zones could restrict their options for using newly developed crop varieties.

"Farmers are naturally concerned about market access, but GM-free zones may prove to be short-sighted, denying farmers the opportunity to grow new improved varieties," she said.

"The answer may lie in the development of systems which allow for all types of agriculture to operate together - be they conventional, organic or genetically modified."

Agrifood Awareness Australia is an industry alliance between AusBiotech, Avcare, the Grains Research and Development Corporation, National Farmers' Federation, the National Agricultural Commodities Marketing Association and the Seed Industry Association of Australia. It was established in 1999.

The organisation provides information on the use of gene technology in agriculture, both for farmers and for consumers. As well as the new booklet on gene technology, it presents a series of fact sheets on gene technology in agriculture and food production.