GM canola has little impact on organic industries: ABARE

The commercialisation of genetically modified canola would have a negligible impact on the organic canola, livestock and honey industries in Australia, according to a report released today by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

The full text of an ABARE announcement is pasted below

The commercialisation of GM canola in Australia is likely to have only negligible direct impacts on the organic canola, livestock and honey industries according to a new ABARE report.

The report, Potential impacts from the introduction of GM canola on organic farming in Australia, was released today by Phillip Glyde, Executive Director of ABARE.

The report investigates the potential economic impacts of the commercialisation of GM canola in Australia on domestic organic agriculture, and looks into the treatment of GMOs in organic certification standards in Australia and in Australia's main organic trade partners.

Certified organic agriculture has grown rapidly in recent years, but remains a small market providing food to those who want to avoid potential chemical residues and GM material.

'Australian organic standards tend to be more stringent than those in our export markets. Therefore, Australian certified organic products are likely to continue to be accepted in export markets if GM canola is introduced in Australia. However, the stringent domestic requirements may reduce Australia's price competitiveness,' Mr Glyde said.

'The organic standards require that crops be isolated from non-organic crops and products, including both conventional and GM canola. Planting GM canola in place of conventional canola would therefore have minimal impact on organic canola,' Mr Glyde noted.
'The impact on organic honey is likely to be minimal for the same reason -- current standards require that bees do not forage on conventional crops.'

The organic livestock industry was found to use a range of organic feedstuffs, and the lack of organic canola crushing in Australia over the past few years suggests that organic canola meal is not an important component of organic livestock feed rations.

'The introduction of GM canola would therefore appear to have minimal impact on the organic livestock industry,' Mr Glyde explained.

However, Mr Glyde cautioned that the introduction of GM varieties of other crops that are more extensively grown in Australia as certified organic may have a different impact.

In releasing the report, Mr Glyde acknowledged funding under the Australian Government's National Biotechnology Strategy.