Bitter disappointment over GM Crops Moratorium stance

Member for Narungga Fraser Ellis MP is bitterly disappointed in today’s stance taken by Labor, the Greens and SA Best to block and disallow the regulations that were to lift the moratorium on GM crops in this State this Sunday, 1 December.

“The lifting of the moratorium was to finally free our farmers to have the same choices to use new and improved crop varieties that farmers in all other jurisdictions around the country have long had.

“Whilst Labor, Greens and SA Best play politics and debate parliamentary processes, our farmers now face continued reduced yields and further hits to their bottom lines as a result of the continued ban on them using modern, universally available, crop varieties scientifically proven to better cope with drought, weed management and disease.

“This is a serious setback for our agriculture sector, as publicly stated by the National Farmers Federation, Grains Producers SA and the Australian Seed Federation.  

“The stance taken also makes a mockery of the findings of the Independent Review by Emeritus Professor Kym Anderson AC, the GM Crop Advisory Committee and the Select Committee, and advice from industry stakeholders. 

“Our community shouldn’t accept the argument that SA Best are voting against this due to parliamentary process. Politicians should vote on the merits of the outcome; any other way is ineffective representation.

“Labor managed to hold back our regions throughout their sixteen years in government and now they’ve managed to do so from Opposition as well.

“Despite posturing from Peter Malinauskas about being a constructive opposition and listening to the electorate they’ve completely ignored our regional communities once again.

“Likewise, SA Best, despite presenting themselves as the farmers friend, have voted to keep our state in the dark ages while the rest of the country has access to GM technology.

“It’s a crying shame that Labor, along with Frank Pangallo and Connie Bonaros, condemn our regional communities to further pain”.