GM in Australia
In November 2007, Premium John Brumby lifted the moratorium on GM seeds in Victoria. The mass media has failed to put the spotlight on one of the biggest news stories that will affect all Victorians, all Australians and all future generations. This should have been headline news and the public should have be fully informed about GM and its affect on our food and the environment. When the cane toad was released to eat the sugar cane bettle, it was thought to be a good idea at the time but what a disaster the cane toad has turned out to be; not only did the cane toad fail to eat the scarab bettles but they ended up killing snakes, lizards, water birds - even crocodiles and dingos. Still out of control, there is no end in sight for Australia's cane toad problem. History is about to repeat itself with GM but with far more disasterous consequences. Although the focus in the media has been on using GM to reduce the amount of water and pesticides in the production of crops; these claims are unsubstantiated and very little media spotlight is shed on the damaging effect that GM will have on the environment and all living creatures. Genetically modified seed have been able to cross bred with weeds to produce super weeds that are resistant to pesticides.
Also, genetically modified food is designed to kill the pests that eat them by crossing an animal gene with a plant gene, but what happens to the plants, soil and humans that eat the genetically modified food with its inbred poison? A GM corn was designed to punch holes in the intestines of certain insects and kill them. However, what happens to the digestive and immune system of animals and humans who would eat the GM corn? Surely, the inbred poison cannot distinguish between a human and an insect?
As, it turns out NO STUDIES have ever been done to prove the safety of GM food or the effect of GMO in the environment. Neither long term or short terms studies. Common sense would tell any normal human being that the risks of harm is greater than any perceived benefits. That is, unless that human being was either given the wrong information or willingly blinded by the desire to make lots and lots of money.
The fact is that GM benefits a few people and once it is released on mass, it will be virtually impossible to contain, as cross breeding and contamination by wind, bees, and water is guaranteed.
One would think, that no company would risk being sued by taking the gamble with GMO but the onus is on the non-GM farmers to keep their crops, GM free, rather than GM farmers from containing their mutant seeds. As an added bonus, the non-GM farmer will be liable for patent infringement if their crop is found to contain GM seeds. If you get sick from eating GM food, it will impossiible to prove and you probably die long before you got any damages. Can one really put a price on good health?
To see a map of GM sites in Victoria, Australia, http://www.non-gm-farmers.com/news_details.asp?ID=2309
Surely, if GM was so bad, our government would not have allowed it to be planted?
Unfortunately, the GM movement is very powerful and there are researchers and people in positions of power that have vested interests in GMO. Conversely, the non-GM movement is fragmented that even in the 2007 Federal election year, the so called Green party was not able to secure a deal to ensure Australia's GM free status. Despite the fact, that Goodman Fielder - one of Australia's largest food companies and Coles - one of Australia's largest food retailers opposes the introduction of GMOs, despite the fact that most people do NOT want to eat GM food, the moratorium on GM is being lifted in all states, with exception of Western Australia. who has prohibited GM seed from being cultivated, sold or imported into WA.
It looks like the new Daylesford and Byron Bay will be somewhere in WA and anyone that wants to breathe air that has not been polluted with GM pollen or food that has not been contaminated with GM seed, will need to move to WA.
If you want to read more about GM, and be informed about the facts, the following website is a the best resource on the internet related to GM in Australia. This is essential reading for everyone.
http://www.non-gm-farmers.com/ .
Get informed. Get angry - your food is your life. Make informed shopping decisions.
Ways you can avoid being part of the problem
- Support and buy food from GM free food produces. If you can grow your own fruit and begetables from heirloom seeds - seeds that you can collected and replanted harvest after harvest. There is room in most suburban backyards to grow at least some food and this can be an enjoyable experience.
- Avoid packaged and highly refined foods, especially foods with soy and canola. Eat fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, legumes and grains and other unprocessed foods. The largest GM crops are canola, soybeans, cotton, corn and wheat and there is currently no GM fruit and vegetables available in the Australian market place. However, a cow that has been fed GM feed or a chicken that has been fed GM seeds, produces GM eggs and milk that do not have to be labelled GM. The same applies to meat products.
- Do not use synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilizers or herbicides. Your shopping dollars support pro-GM companies. By making your own compost, using garlic sprays, etc, you are also ensuring that our water and soil is cleaner and protecting your own health and that of your children and grandchildren.
- Use natural cleaners like vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, lemon juice and vegetable oil soaps made from olive oil, coconut oil. By avoiding canola and soy based oils, even if they are not GM oils, will cause a glut in these products, the price will drop and the price of GM canola and soy will drop further, discouraging farmers from adopting this technology
- In everything you buy, find out if it is GM free. We can't blame it all on the GM companies - as shoppers we need to take responsiblity for how we spend our money and the decisions we make.
- Add a link to a GM information webpage from your email signature. eg. "Genetically modified rats fed GM Soy were stunted, dead or sterile read more"
- Add a link to GM information from your website (send us an email at manager@passioncomputing.com.au if you can't afford to get your site updated)
- Talk to friends, relatives and collegues about GM
- Write to your local MP and local councillors
- Educate your children to understand more about their food, where it comes from and how to make better choices for themselves.
- Avoid all synthetic medicines which are produced by the petro-pharma industry and find natural remedies like tea tree oil. Try sleep instead of popping a pain killer.
GM and Energy
Energy fuels the modern world. Our cities are heavily reliant on energy. Although we have all been misled to believe that petroleum is in decline (thus pushing up the price of petrol). Oil crops represents one of the most valuable traded commodites and there is no doubt the reason why canola, soybeans, corn are being genetically modified, patented and controlled.
Companies are developing alternatives to petroleum and using vegetable based oils like corn, canola and soybean. By being able to patent these crops, means that they can earn revenue from these patents and collect their dues from farmers who plant these crops. A win-win situation for GM companies.
An American company, http://www.ls9.com/ has a patent pending, that uses GM e-coli to prodcue an alternative fuel to petroleum. This alternative is identical to petroleum and made from sugar. It kind of makes you wonder if the evolutionary theory taught at school, that it took millions of years to make petroleum was little more than propoganda, if a company can produce a petroleum like substance from sugar using e-coli bacteria and produce it for mass distribution.
GM technology is a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands
Imagine a genetically modified food that when eaten causes sterility or death; creating a sickly population that was dependent on drugs. Pharmaceutical companies closely linked with GM and pesticide companies profits soar at the expense of people's health but haven't we all been told taht the world is overpopulated anyway? Population control is as old as kingdoms and empires - since Pharoah told the Isrealite women to throw their male babies into the Nile, the desire to control a breeding population is not a new thing. http://www.mindfully.org/GE/2005/Geopolitics-GM-Food6mar05.htm
Genetically modified rats fed GM Soy were stunted, dead or sterile.
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/GM_Soya_Fed_Rats.php
About the Author
My name is Jeanee Andrewartha and I am a director of Passion Computing. (Passion Computing sell domain names, create websites, CMS systems and provide copywriting ) I have a University degree in Statistics and English. Growing up in the eighties, my high school (college) teacher had a son who was murdered doing his job as a journalist in East Timor. He was one of the Balibo Five. This same teacher, encouraged me to write and it something that I have always enjoyed. I grew up believing that I could make the world a better place and perhaps as I grow older, I become much more cynical. There are some battles that can be won and others that are perhaps unwinnable. To be honest, I don't know if the GM battle is winnable but at least for those people who read about GM, they have the chance to make a difference in their own lives. We can only try and this article is just a small attempt to get more information about GM out to the wider public.
As a parent, I am passionate about organically grown food. Food and eating is a huge part of life that is often neglected in a busy life. Food should be enjoyed; it should nourish and strength our lives. I do hope that this article enriches you and encourages you to use the internet to research more about GM, and make informed decisions that will affect you and your family.