Australian organic industry trying to bully GMOs out of existence with zero tolerance contamination policy

gm crops
Researchers with Genetically Modified Corn --- Image by © Wolfgang Flamisch/Corbis

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Visiting US journalist Jon Entine says pro-organic supporters of Western Australia farmer Steve Marsh went “picking for a fight” and played the “contamination card”, believing their legal battle over genetically modified (GM) crops was a “slam dunk”.

But the high profile science communicator believes WA GM canola farmer Mike Baxter ultimately repelled the real Goliath in a David and Goliath battle.

As previously reported by FarmOnline, Mr Marsh last week lost his Supreme Court appeal for compensation after GM canola was found on his organic Kojonup property in 2010.

Mr Entine said the accuser can’t set the ground rules for how he was wronged. “… there were no actual consequences to Marsh’s farm other than the consequences imposed by his own organic association; he should sue them for arbitrarily taking away his organic certification,” he said. “It seems like this was a calculated attempt by the organic industry to regulate conventional farming out of existence and it failed miserably.”

“Only in Australia do you have the organic industry setting up a zero tolerance standard that’s unenforceable and essentially criminalises what goes on in nature all of the time.”

But National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia general manager Ben Copeman said his organisation’s position remained unchanged, despite the ruling, and the zero tolerance for GM would continue

“We will continue to maintain a zero tolerance approach to GM in organic products until such time as producer and consumer sentiment changes,” said Copeman.

“Big organic is a $100 billion dollar plus industry,” Mr. Entine said. “The more they can demonize conventional agriculture and GMOs the more they prosper, so it’s in their self-interest to spread misinformation.

Read full, original post: GMOs misunderstood says US writer

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