GM crops bill given green light

Primary Industries Minister Tim Whetstone said this was a historic day for farmers in SA.

"Now the legislation has passed Parliament, our graingrowers have the certainty they need to invest in GM seed and sow GM crops in the 2021 season," he said.

"By lifting the GM moratorium on mainland SA, we are backing our farmers and researchers to grow the state's agriculture sector and create jobs.

"Lifting the moratorium will also bring SA into the 2020s and put our farmers on a level playing field with their counterparts around the country who have had access to GM technology for at least a decade.

"Our farmers will now have more tools in the toolbox to boost the agriculture industry as they battle drought and a changing climate."

On Tuesday afternoon, the bill passed the Legislative Council by a margin of 17 to 2, with The Greens' Mark Parnell and Tammy Franks the only members to vote against it.

It then headed back to the Lower House on Wednesday afternoon, where the bill passed Parliament with amendments.

Although Mr Parnell gained support for a number of his proposed amendments, he remained disappointed by the "about face" the Labor Party had done by agreeing to a "dodgy" deal with the government.

"The outcome of the vote was disappointing, but not surprising," he said.

He said Labor was once the "architects and champions" of the state's GM moratorium, but had instead "sold out" its own supporters, as well as organic and non-GM farmers.

Mr Parnell expressed dismay that the government would not have a record of who was growing GM crops and where, although Liberal MLC David Ridgway said no such register had been implemented interstate, and one was not necessary in SA.

Grain Producers SA chief executive officer Caroline Rhodes said the passage of the bill through Parliament represented the "most significant reform to SA's GM law in 16 years".

"While the amended bill is not in absolute alignment with GPSA's preferred policy position, we believe this compromise model was the best opportunity to provide certainty in time for the 2021 season," she said.

"We look forward to engaging with councils across the state once the bill has passed Parliament.

"The beneficiaries of this reform will ultimately be the graingrowers of SA, who are a significant part of our economy.

"We are backing the state's grain industry to manage the transition out of the moratorium in a sensible manner and look forward to growers finally being able to make their own choices about which crops they want to grow without the hinderance of legislators on North Terrace."

Australian Seed Federation general manager Osman Mewett also welcomed the news, saying the moratorium had restricted the incentive for SA researchers to develop agricultural biotechnologies for SA.

"It has denied South Australian farmers access to innovative breeding methods and new crops both now and in the future, and it has banned the transport of GM seed across the state," he said.

Mr Mewett said the GM seed transport ban was also having a significant negative impact on the Australian seed industry, resulting in increased costs to seed producers and long delays from having to use other transport measures to divert genetically modified seed around SA.

Under agreed amendments to the Genetically Modified Crops Management (Designated Area) Amendment Bill 2019, local councils now have a time-limited ability to apply to remain a GM-free area, but ultimately the final decision will rest with the Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister.

Kangaroo Island will retain the moratorium, but Mr Whetstone said the government would continue to work with island representatives on this going forward.