NonGMfarmer - I am in agreement with the sentiments underlying your post. I am concerned that we are leaping onto the GM bandwagon without sufficient knowledge of the long term effects of playing with the basic building blocks of life - DNA. The GM market appears to be solely $ driven and not based upon in depth knowledge - which we are still to determine. I notice know that the argument has become based upon economic concerns (whether or not we will lose lucrative markets in Europe/Japan) because the only argument that has any merit in this 'rational' economy is the $ value.

Issues of fresh local produce, natural sustainability and long term effects of GM are brushed aside - which is appalling. These are valid concerns yet receive little if any consideration. (Generally placed in the 'Greenie Basket' which now apparently means loony fringe and any merit these arguments have are ignored).

Australia still has the opportunity to provide a GM free alternative to the world market.

I understand where Pericles is coming from vis-a-vis 'preaching to the already converted', while there is a plethora of speechifying on race/religion/colour/creed there is insufficient discussion about GM and its consequences as I have outlined above. Therefore I believe that we need opinion pieces like Tager - we all start from some POV after all. As for the Sells, Flints and Stones - they surely must be losing by the erosive effect of repetition. Therefore Pericles, at least allow some discussion of the GM issue. We really need to think through this one. My next meal is counting on it ;-)

According to a Canadian biotech website “Europe was never a major customer [for Canadian Canola] anyway, buying on average about 300,000 tonnes a year.

Canada exported almost four million tonnes of canola in 1999/2000 and almost five million tonnes in 2000/2001.”

In other words, somewhere between 4% and 7.5% of the Canadian canola exports to Europe have disappeared. And Australia continues to take advantage of the opportunistic markets there, with Europe buying, on a 5 year average, around 15% of Australian canola exports.

I doubt most Australian canola growers would be impressed at the thought of losing any portion of that market for a product that has no benefits.

One last note for Pericles – Tager offered to provide references for claims made. In other words, he’s claiming he can back the claims with original sources.