Correction on above: the tonnage is 37,590tonne/year more, I missed the .00. Apologies for being so rushed.

Geoffrey Carracher tested his seed because farmers are expected to sign to guarantee they have no GM contamination and that we will accept liability if there is. How can we do that without testing? It was claimed by pro-GM lobbyists that Geoffreys contamination of Grace seed was a publicity stunt but his findings were later confirmed by industry testing announcing the Grace variety was contaminated and sown on an estimated total of 432,000ha. Some publicity stunt!

3 years after Starlink corn was recalled, it is still rejected and detected in 1% of samples which proves you can not get rid of GM contamination. http://www.non-gm-farmers.com/news_details.asp?ID=2023

Those farmers in US and Canada that want to market as non-GM must follow a stringent identity preservation system which includes importing uncontaminated seed for planting. Yes, they do get premiums but the costs involved negate most of those premiums. At the moment, Australian farmers get those premiums without the costs.

"d", Omega 3 is not just limited to fish. I read on my bread label today that Linseed was a good Omega 3 source.

I think "murder" is rather radical but taking risks with peoples health and livelihoods is very serious.

Rebel, you are continually playing the man rather than the ball... how about debating the issue.

Why do you think the non-GM farmers should be liable? Why are you against independent performance trials? If you are not against them, why haven't you all answered my repeated questions?

I'm heading to see Charles Benbrook in Perth now so will be able to give you a first hand opinion. Try not to get too carried away without me being on line.

Dear Is it really:

GM foods are at least as safe as anything grown conventionally. If kiwi fuits or peanuts had to go through the same review as GM crops, they would be rejected due to allergenicity. Many food items from GM crops aren’t even GM, such as sugars and oils (including from canola, which is why most of the world doesn’t care about GM canola, except the EU for whom it is a convenient trade barrier to protect their own net exporting farmers). Once processed, there is no DNA or protein left in oils or sugars, i.e,. you cannot tell them from conventionally grown oils or sugars. Did you know that 70% of British cheese is produced using GE enzymes, but isn’t labeled (nor is there any apparent campaign to do so)?

I don’t care if our farmers don’t grow GM canola. I object to denying them the choice to do so to curry favour with Green voters. It has been estimated that lack of access to GM canola is costing WA farmers more than $100 million per year, see http://www.no-till.com.au/

Julie, where is your evidence that Japan is becoming “increasingly” GM sensitive? They buy GM corn and soy from the US, GM canola from Canada, and have done so for 9 years now.

Bill Crabtree has seen GM crops in North America and South America. Where have you been to?

Benbrook is a top agronomic adviser in the US? You are the one who is joking or misinformed. Look at his own biography; he just “worked in Washington”; http://pewagbiotech.org/events/0204/benbrook.php3

Benbrook is an economist who worked a government bureaucrat for years and then was fired from his most senior government job (Science, vol. 250, 1202, Nov. 30, 1990)). He now works for the organic industry (http://www.organic-center.org/about2.htm)

Julie, I have already said that non-GM farmers should not be liable, assuming of course that they didn’t cause their own problems. I am in wildly in favor of independent trials. I have answered your questions. Answer mine. Is your Network of Confused Farmers going to sue Bayer over Carracher? Why not

Rebel: Are you Bill Crabtree? I am allergic to peanuts and peanut oil. You don't understand what it's like for people like me with allergies. I have been near death due to allegens and in hospitals numerous times because of it, from not knowing what I was allergic to in foods and environment. I am not interested in having any more allergins in my diet as it's hard enough now trying to avoid what I know I am allergic to. This is why you would murder people like me as we would not know. Someone insisting I have ANY product in my food that could increase my allergies should be classed as a murderer.
"Corporation" made it clear that corporate companies are only interested in exploiting global rescources for sharholder profits. I don't want to be murdered because of profits to a shareholder.

Here's an idea .... Why don't the members of the pro GM foods lobby offer themselves personally for GM testing.

I and probably some of the other people wary of GM foods will no doubt be willing to be in the control group... I'll eat what I eat now. In fact I will guarantee that I do not eat any GM foods whatsoever.

The rest of you PRO's should approach the chemical companies and eat all these wonder foods for the next 12 months. Don't think of yourselves as human guinea pigs or lab rats... you are people who are following your dogmas and complete trust in these corporations to the full measure.

This is almost the perfect experiment... we are testing the GM foods on intelligent, rich westeners for the benefit of those in the 3rd world we normally test things on.

Now we need some truly independent health professionals who will monitor these people's health and do the tests required at the end of the 12 month testing period.

Being true to your Dogma I expect you to report all illnesses to your Drs. Don't fudge the figures now. Oh I know you wouldn't do that you are very honourable people.

Obviously we can add the chemical companies PR people, their marketing guru's and their directors and management to make up the numbers in the non-control group.

Is a year long enough? Probably not but it is a good start. Just remember when you are in the trial not to breath on any plants... your Roundup residuals might kill them...Ha!

In a years time I reckon we might just see some significant results...
Remember if you grow an extra head... two heads are better than one.

NonGMFarmer. You need to be more specific about what you mean. Most in the canola industry would consider “canola” in a sales context to mean canola seed exports. Yes, if you include oil and meal exports, Canada has sent more canola product to the US in the past two years than it has to Japan. However, prior to that there was either little difference or more product was sent to Japan. Canola production in the US was down in 2004 due to a difficult season. If you add it all up, canola product exports from Canada for 2004/2005 were 25% higher than in 1995/1996 or 1996/1997. Hardly evidence of an inability to sell product.

Somehow, Japan’s increasing sensitivity to GM imports is not showing up in canola imports from Canada. Imports from Canada of all canola products by Japan were about the same in 2004/2005 to what they were in 1995/1996 before Canada was selling GM canola. Seed exports are now higher than 1995/1996. Japan’s increasing sensitivity to GM imports is also not showing up in soybean imports from the US.

I am quite happy to see canola trials. They happen every year in Canada and the US and usually the LibertyLink varieties come out on top.

Opionated2. As far as I am aware, I have been eating GM foods for the past 8 years. I intend to do so for the next twelve months as well. Count me in. In that time, I have had only 4 visits to the doctor. Two normal checkups, one travel vaccination and once for antibiotics for an ear infection. Of course a statistical sample of 1 is pretty useless. But there are more than 200 million people in North America who have been eating these products without mishap for 8 years or more. There are probably more everywhere else. Oh and when I grow that second head, you will be the first to know.

Great new Agronomist... of course you do it at your own risk...

But before you start I think you should consider the following...

You would need to pick as many GM foods as you possibly can - remember if GM foods are approved the world over we will end up eating almost entirely GM foods. This means that the genes in your conola might react with the genes in the soy, or your wheat products or your dairy products etc. etc.

I'm sure the companies can vouch that all these interalational problems have been well and truly tested. Most of the studies I have read they have only tested one GM product on each rodent. They haven't fed the lab rats a diet similar to what we humans would eat. Not many of us eat just soy all day.

This part of the test could work for or against GM produce. Feeding a rat just GM soy and not much else may have exaggerated the results. Likewise feeding the rats a mixed diet may have more serious consequences... Who knows?

See I am inbiased in my approach to the tests.