Rural groups keen to work with new Premier

Key rural groups, WA Farmers and the Pastoralists and Graziers Association, have indicated their willingess to work with state's new Premier to further the interests of Western Australia's large rural sector.

WAFarmers have welcomed the appointment of new State Premier Alan Carpenter.

Western Australian Farmers Federation president Trevor De Landgrafft said the organisation looked forward to working with the new Premier on issues affecting rural communities in WA.
"It is encouraging to have a State Premier who has worked in various areas of government policy which impact on rural communities," said Mr De Landgrafft.

Mr Carpenter was a presenter of the ABC Stateline program, his subsequent shadow cabinet portfolios and Government Ministerial positions also saw him involved with rural communities.

Meanwhile, graingrowers in WA have urged the Premier to include GM crops in his quest to 'recession-proof' the State economy.

Pastoralists & Graziers Association chairman Leon Bradley said farmers in WA were rapidly falling behind their counterparts in the US, Canada and now Europe because Government policy in WA prevented their use of GM technology.

"The new Premier has targeted biotechnology as a means of offsetting any economic downturn in WA, yet out here farmers are being forced to use more chemicals and more diesel because his government has a moratorium on GM crops and research," Mr Bradley said.

"There are as many benefits to be found in new cropping technology as there are in medical biotechnology. These breakthroughs are already being used by our overseas farming competitors - but are denied to us by State Government policy.

"If the new Premier is dinkum about promoting technology, he will toss aside the anti-GM policy nonsense that is suffocating our grains industry."