Australian Financial Review http://www.afr.com.au/content/990517/news/news10.html May 17, 1999 Alliance to push benefits of biotechnology By Cathy Bolt Farmers, researchers and agribusiness interests have teamed up to try to regain critical lost ground in the bitter debate over the merits of genetically engineered foods. Agrifood Alliance Australia, launched on Friday, is a joint venture between the National Farmers' Federation, Avcare, which represents crop and veterinary chemical companies, the Grains Research and Development Corporation, the Seed Industry Association, the Australian Biotechnology Association, Co-operative Research Centres Association and fertiliser company Pivot Ltd. The Alliance said its aim was to achieve public understanding of the benefits of biotechnology. It would develop a program to emphasise the benefits of the technology, "with the belief that through education comes understanding". Concern about gene technology has intensified amid controversy over the introduction of new laws which came into effect last week making it illegal to sell food which contains genetically modified organisms (GMOs) unless they have been given final or preliminary approval by the Australian New Zealand Food Authority. A rush of late applications by major biotechnology companies brought to 20 the number of genetically engineered crops which are covered, including soy beans, corn, canola, potatoes and cotton. New laws also came into effect last week in Australia requiring any genetically modified foods which are "substantially different" to their conventional counterparts to be labelled. But ANZFA is still developing a system to implement labelling of "substantially equivalent" products ~ such as soy beverages derived from herbicide-resistant soy bean crops ~ which it was ordered to do last year by State and federal health ministers. In the meantime, several food companies, including Sanitarium and George Weston Food, have reacted to consumer concern by removing genetically engineered ingredients from a number of key products. The Agrifood Alliance said its activities would complement the Federal Government's national biotechnology strategy announced in last week's Budget, which included a new, statutory gene technology regulatory body and a new promotional body called Biotechnology Australia. In other developments, the biotechnology revolution in agriculture has spawned another joint venture. The latest alliance is Grain Biotechnology Australia Pty Ltd, a partnership between a Perth-based biotechnology group, Biowest Australia, and AgDirect Australia, a company owned by two West Australian farmers, Mr Rob Hyde and Mr Graham Shields. Biowest's managing director, Mr Stewart Washer, said it was confident other investors would join the company. They are understood to be the Grain Pool of Western Australia, Co-operative Bulk Handling of WA and a research organisation. Mr Washer said the company's strength would be in its ability to use its biotechnology and skills with breeding to convert superior genes into new varieties of wheat, Australia's biggest crop. Mr Washer said the company's income would be derived from end-point levies collected on delivery of crops and through premiums flowing from "closed loop" marketing chains, where growers are contracted to grow specific varieties for particular customers. He said the company expected to develop for release within four to five years new wheat varieties with modified starch content, herbicide resistance and pesticide resistance. Mr Washer said he was confident consumer concerns over genetically modified foods and food ingredients would abate. "Over time, the power of this technology and the safety of this technology is such that it will come to be accepted," he said. The new venture is the latest in a spate of new businesses, acquisitions and alliances that have emerged ahead of the revolution in crop production and marketing systems expected to result from the introduction of privately owned genetics. c This material is subject to copyright and any unauthorised use, copying or mirroring is prohibited. ************************************************************************* This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
