The Australian: Push for rules on genetic farming
By SID MARRIS
11mar99
A MULTINATIONAL agriculture company has backed plans by Agriculture Minister
Mark Vaile to take over, from Health Minister Michael Wooldridge, the regulation of
gene technology advances.
As federal Cabinet debates who will police the growing area, Monsanto technical
director Bill Blowes said yesterday the current body overseeing food standards, the
Australia New Zealand Food Authority, had not become the "regulatory authority
that it should be".
Dr Blowes said there was a need for a transparent set of rules to provide guidelines
for companies such as Monsanto, which was "invited to do business" in Australia.
He said proposals being drafted within Mr Vaile's department would address the
issue.
"Now we have a minister who is committed to regulating this technology and that is
good news for all of us," Dr Blowes said. "This change to regulation is happening
right now and we need to make sure that the organisation that is put in place
meets the need of all us as Australians."
Australian Consumers Association manager of policy and public affairs Mara Bun
said consumer and medical groups remained convinced health ministers should
continue to monitor the use of genetically modified foods.
Ms Bun said the agriculture companies were reacting to a decision by health
ministers in December for even more stringent labelling requirements than originally
proposed by the ANZFA.
"It is totally logical for the food to be regulated by the health ministries," she said.
"To base public policy on knee-jerk industry groans – and that is essentially what
this is all about – is both bad policy for the public interest and horrific in terms of
longer-term export consequences."
A decision on the future of regulation of genetically modified foods is not expected
from Cabinet until later this month.
Victorian Health Minister Rob Knowles yesterday broke ranks with his State and
federal colleagues. Mr Knowles played down the importance of companies
registering foods containing genetically modified organisms, saying the failure to do
so did not pose a health risk.
The comments came at the start of a three-day conference on gene technology,
where a "lay panel" will write a report based on contributions from experts.
Opening the conference, Mr Vaile said Australia needed to embrace the technology
to ensure it could compete with other countries using the techniques to increase
yields and lower costs.
"Sure we have to be careful but we cannot turn our back on opportunity, particularly
the opportunity to provide food to hungry people, to provide them with the kind of
food security that we take for granted," he said.
"Any risks must and can be managed and controlled."
theaustralian.com.au |
