Letters to the editor - March 26

Primary Industries Minister Tim Whetstone has tried and failed three times to end the moratorium on GM crops on mainland SA ('GM certainty remains out of reach - for now', Stock Journal, March 5) so should now accept the parliament's votes as final.

GM-free products, labels and promotion already enable many food and farm businesses to reap market premiums for GM-free. San Remo, Maggie Beer, BD Paris Creek, Sam's Natural and Jonny's Popcorn are among the many food enterprises backing GM-free products. They supply clean, green and GM-free foods, beverages and commodities to Australia and the world.

Kangaroo Island and Tas both show that GM-free products are in strong demand, at premium prices, and are a big commercial success. KI will stay GM-free until 2025 and Tas until 2029. The whole of SA could do the same and reap the same rewards, if only the Marshall government sponsored a GM-free promotion scheme instead of caving in to agribusiness pressure.

The GM ban also protects most farmers as they will never choose to grow Roundup Ready GM canola. The seed is more expensive, segregation flawed and transport costly.

Though GM contamination is a real threat, the government would lift the GM ban without requiring GM seed and chemical companies to provide any protection or compensation at all.

A crop that depends on being sprayed with a toxic chemical such as Roundup weed killer should not be allowed. Glyphosate-based herbicides are widely banned or being phased out and their European registration will end in 2023.

Residues of these herbicides in grain and oilseed exports are already restricted and will soon be zero tolerance, as CBH's malting barley segregation shows.

Everyone should back the SA parliament's stand, to keep SA GM-free until 2025.

For the third time the SA Upper House has denied the state's farmers access to GM crops by disallowing the SA government's regulations to enable GM crop cultivation on mainland SA.

It is very disappointing that, once again, fear-mongering with no base in facts has prevailed in SA.

The South Australian parliament keeps ignoring the pleas of scientists and farmers to modernise and improve the sustainability of SA's agricultural sector.

Disallowing the regulations was an exercise in senselessness. The arguments raised by opponents of GM technology have been proven time and time again to be hollow and without foundation.

In every other mainland state of Australia farmers can make the choice to grow GM crops safely and sustainably, and they've been doing so for years without issue.

Denying South Australian farmers that same choice on the basis of irrational, disproven arguments is frankly ludicrous.

This is no longer an academic or theoretical debate. The reality that the moratorium is not required has been proven across Australia and the world for more than 20 years.

The SA Upper House needs to listen to the experts that are scientists, farmers and grain handlers. GM crops are enabling farmers to reduce carbon emissions, use pesticides more sustainably and protect the soil through no-till farming. Farmers and grain handlers have achieved successful co-existence, storage and export for decades.

Repealing the GM crop moratorium on mainland SA is not a great leap of faith, it is simply the right thing to do, giving farmers a choice to grow whichever approved crops - including GM crops - they want to grow.