The following is an edited excerpt.
Lifting Tasmania’s ban on genetically engineered crops would devastate producers relying on green branding, a group says.
Pressure is mounting on the state and federal governments to lift bans on genetically modified crops and animals for trade reasons, The Mercury reports.
But farmer and winemaker Tony Scherer said Tasmania could not compete by selling large volumes of produce and being GE-free gave the state a vital advantage.
“It’s absolutely essential to keep the ban in my view. Tasmania is never going to outproduce anybody volume-wise,” Sprout Tasmania president Mr Scherer said.
“We need to do things on the premium end of the spectrum and be able to provide to people around the world who want GE-free.”
Read the original article in its entirety here: Tassie’s brand may face GM risk