Stop GM Crops in SA
Announcement posted by Tucker's Natural 04 Mar 2020
Tucker’s Natural joins Maggie Beer, BD Paris Creek Farms, San Remo and Johnny’s Popcorn to support the moratorium that ensures GM crops are banned in South Australia.
’GMO’s rank within the top five food concerns globally. GMO concern is even surpassing ingredient concerns such as sugar, sodium, hydrogenated oils and artificial ingredients”[1]
Sam Tucker, owner of Tucker’s Natural is calling for the South Australian Food and Beverage industry to stand up and be counted.
“This is a moment in time when as an industry we have the opportunity of guiding and protecting our State’s future against the greed and power of three very large international chemical companies that have an undesirable hold on seed markets globally[2]. The push in South Australia for GM Canola is not about improved benefits to farmers but about corporate profits.”
“This will only start with GM Canola and then it will be open the flood gates to other GM Federal approved crops including fruit and vegetables. If the World Health Organisation (WHO) dedicates a full page to GM foods and their assessment, then alarm bells should be ringing!” he said.
Steven Marshall, who is our people’s representative is bowing to voices funded by multinational chemical companies who want GM Canola. Yet the cropping report for June 2018-2019 for SA shows a 14% drop in canola planting below the 10-year average, which reflects an increase in the area planted to barley and pulses (more profitable crops) at the expense of canola. https://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/research-topics/agricultural-commodities/australian-crop-report
Is Stephen Marshall appraised of the true facts? Why fight for GM Canola when there are more profitable alternatives for farmers which reflect the global consumer trend.
When Austrade details on their website-
“ With and increasing number of suppliers to choose from, global buyers are increasingly seeking out segmentation, unique product attributes and assurance of traceability…..Australian exporters supply international customers who are seeking greater differentiation and require specifications such as non-GMO, organic or a specific region.”
Then surely Steven Marshall and all other State politicians should be heeding the advice of the experts. Austrade goes on to cite a large export market for Australia.
“One country Japan relies heavily on Australia’s agricultural commodities and imports around A$697 million in grains, oilseeds and pules from Australia each year(ABARES) According to Austrade there are market opportunities in “Non-GMO grain products for both human consumption and as feedstock” https://www.austrade.gov.au/australian/export/export-markets/countries/japan/industries/Agribusiness-Grains-and-pulses
Sam Tucker goes onto explain….
All Tucker’s Natural products are certified non-GM and the demand for this certification continues to grow globally. In the US, the specialty food market requires Non-GM or Organic certification to be considered for inclusion in this billion-dollar segment.
Sadly, Labor and now a couple of key Independents have changed their dialogue in recent weeks to suggest that they will back down on maintaining the state-wide moratorium and seek only to secure this status for Kangaroo Island.
I am not sure how this rationale works? If it is such a wonderful thing, then why is Kangaroo Island exempt? The rationale for their exemption is it gives them a competitive advantage to selling internationally as non- GM Kangaroo Island crops. They receive a premium for this.
Okay, well this applies to ALL South Australia.
If it is a strong enough argument for Kangaroo Island then it is good enough for the rest of South Australia, otherwise it is discriminating.
Don’t open the gate to GM
Once the gate is opened, it can never be shut again. GMO will be here to stay and with no barriers to grow other than the Federal Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) in Canberra, who is responsible for regulating all genetically modified organisms (GMOs) through the Gene Technology Act 2000.
Unfortunately, I feel there is a general apathy in the South Australian Food and Beverage Industry who may feel it is only confined to canola. While canola is the first crop, this can be extended into other crops as well as fruit and vegetables. It is only confined by the approvals issued by OGTR. This is not just about canola; it is about all future farming crops and produce.
Ultimately, the politicians are the ones that will vote and decide on this issue with or without our say. We remain hopeful that fellow producers/manufacturers will voice support loudly for the moratorium on GM crops to remain in place. This will secure our global competitive advantage and ensure South Australia remains Clean and Green.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Sam Tucker
Owner/Founder Tucker’s Natural
www.tuckersnatural.com.au
0417 736 522
Please act to defend SA GM-free
Keep SA GM-free till 2025 as parliament agreed. The Marshall government wants to end the GM ban.
Please send your support for GM-free crops and foods to:
- Liberal SA Government: Tim Whetstone 08 8226 2931 Minister.Whetstone@sa.gov.au
- ALP: 08 8237 9137 laborleader@parliament.sa.gov.au
- ALP Federal : Eddie Hughes 08 8645 7800 eddie.hughes@parliament.sa.gov.au |
- ALP Federal: Leon Bignell 08 8384 6344 leon.bignell@parliament.sa.gov.au>
- SA Best: 08 8237 9145 <bonaros.office@parliament.sa.gov.au
- SA Best: Frank Pangallo pangallo.office@parliament.sa.gov.au
- The Greens Mark Parnell: 08 8237 9111 parnell@parliament.sa.gov.au
Please like this: https://www.facebook.com/KeepSouthAustraliaGMFree/
[1] 13-Aug-2015 By Elaine Watson
A large consumer study* from market researcher Health Focus International spanning 16 major consumer markets includes this pretty jaw-dropping statistic: 87% of consumers globally think non-GMO foods are ‘somewhat’, or ‘a lot’ healthier.