Press Release

The Pastoralists and Graziers Association (PGA) has labelled today’s claims by the Safe Food Foundation that the GM buffer zone has been lifted from 5metres to 1.1kilometres as deliberately misleading to the Australian public.

“This is just another attempt by the organic industry to scare farmers in WA into not planting GM canola,” PGA Western Graingrowers Chairman John Snooke said.

“There have been no changes to the agreed international buffer zone of 5metres and claims by the Safe Food Foundation that farmers should consider ‘whether to risk their independence for a long-term relationship with a patent holder will be further discouraged by this huge and significant increase in the informal buffer zone’ are deliberately false and misleading - not only to farmers, but to the general public as well.”

“These claims clearly support the fact that the only reason that Steve Marsh lodged his writ against his neighbour is to end the rights of farmers to decide what crops they can grow and how they can grow it.”

“Every farmer should have the right to make a living from his farm and have the right to control what happens on his property.”

“Yet Mr Marsh and his anti GM backers are demanding the right to exercise complete control over the choices that their neighbouring farmers wish to use and if allowed will make any improved practices in farming impossible to achieve, specifically a standard of zero tolerance for adventitious presence of foreign materials.”

“Steve Marsh’s neighbour, Mike Baxter has broken no laws and has complied with all of the requirements for growing GM crops,” Mr Snooke said.

“Yet he is being vilified by Green-centric organisations and forced to defend his rights to farm in an attempt by the organic industry to cover-up its flawed accreditation process and failed policy of coexistence.”

“If Mr Marsh is truly seeking compensation, then perhaps he should be suing NASSA for withdrawing his certification as they are the ones who have been negligent throughout this whole issue by refusing to accept the same standards for the presence of GM as they do with chemical residue.”