The Wire

Organic farmers are calling for all seeds imported seeds to be tested, following the discovery trace elements of genetically modified organisms in a Victorian shipment of canola seed bound for Japan. While tests are being conducted on the contaminated shipment, one theory is that the GM canola involved – developed by Bayer – may have made its way into Australia from Canada, as seed imported by Australian grain growers. There is currently a moratorium in place in all states except Queensland that bans the commercial cultivation of GM crops. However, imported seed is not screened for GM and exports are also only tested if the buyer requests it. While some have questioned whether the scare will effect Australia’s export markets, organic farmers, who make up 2% of exports, are worried. Earlier, Erica Vowles spoke to Scott Kinnear, the director of Biological Farmers of Australia, the largest organic farmers group in the country. He outlined the impact that the discovery of GM organisms may have on Australia’s organic marketed exports.