Media briefing by pro-GM scientists

Australian Science Media Centre – Monday 25 February 2008

Growing GM canola – the risks, the rewards and the regulation.

Friday 29 February 10.30am AEDT, Melbourne. Also offered online for interstate journalists

On Friday 29 February,  the moratorium on the planting of GM canola effectively ends in NSW and Victoria. Yet debate continues about what the impact of planting GM canola will be. While genetically modified cotton has been grown in Australia for the past ten years, the planting of GM food crops brings new questions about the role of GM in Australian farming.

Along with the potential for reward, planting GM canola brings risks. From reduced herbicide use to the creation of ‘superweeds’, uncovering the science behind these risks and benefits can be difficult. Which concerns are the most justified? What is to be gained or lost?  Which risks can be managed and which can’t?

Join this Australian Science Media Centre <http://www.aussmc.org/>  background media briefing on the day the Victorian moratorium lifts and hear from four leading scientists openly discussing the risks and benefits of GM:

·        Professor Sir Gustav Nossal – Chair of the Review of the moratorium of GM canola in Victoria – Lifting the moratorium: What is to be gained or lost?

·        Professor Rick Roush – Dean Land and Food Resources, University of Melbourne  – What are the environmental risks of GM canola?

·        Dr Chris Preston – Programme Leader for the Weeds CRC and University of Adelaide – How can farmers manage the risks – what can Australia learn from Canada?

·        Dr TJ Higgins – Deputy Chief CSRIO Plant Industry – What are the health risks of GM and how are they managed and regulated?

BRIEFING DETAILS:

DATE: Friday 29 February 2008
START TIME: 10.30am AEDT (10am in SA, 9.30am in Qld, 8.30am in WA)
VENUE: Woodward Conference Centre,  Melbourne Law School, Level 10, 185 Pelham St, Carlton
DURATION: Approx 45 min
TO ATTEND: Due to Melbourne University security requirements, journalists must register to attend. Please contact us on (08) 8207 7415 or by email <mailto:info@aussmc.org>  to register.

Follow the briefing live from your computer
Journalists can follow the briefing online via audio-streaming as a silent observer and can watch the PowerPoint presentations online (there will also be an opportunity to ask questions). Each presenter will speak for 7-10 minutes followed by questions. Audio files of the briefing will be posted on the AusSMC <http://www.aussmc.org/>  website as soon as possible after the event.

For journalists to listen on the day:

1. Go to the briefing web page by clicking here 10 minutes before the start time <https://aussmcus.webex.com/aussmcus/onstage/g.php?t=a&amp;d=827748445>  or during the briefing.

2. Enter your name and email address

3. Click “Join”.

For those who have not “attended” one of our briefings online before and would like to make sure that they can connect, please contact us to arrange a quick test before Friday.

Once you have joined the briefing online, live audio streaming will enable you to hear the conversation.  Radio stations wanting to record the briefing can also receive higher quality audio by phone. Contact the AusSMC for further details.

(System requirements: You will need a broadband connection and audio speakers to hear the event.  Allow 1-2 mins for your computer to be configured correctly, install ActiveX, if asked)

For further information or if you have any problems with the online briefing, please contact the AusSMC <mailto:info@aussmc.org>  on 08 8207 7415.

Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC)
Ph: (08) 8207 7415
Fax: (08) 8207 7413

info@aussmc.org
www.aussmc.org <http://www.aussmc.org/>

PO Box 237
RUNDLE MALL  SA  5000

Overseas markets say no to GM

In the 2001 Eurobarometer study (16,029 people, roughly 1,000 people for each member state of the EU), 70% of Europeans did not want GM foods

The UK’s Journal of Agrobiotechnology Management and Economics (Vol 6 No 3 article 6) reported that of 2,568 consumers surveyed, only 2% said they’d eat GM breakfast cereals when asked: “Which would you choose when the prices are identical between GM and non-GM foods?”. 71% said they would choose conventional, with the remainder undecided or having no preference.

LINKS:

• No market for GM food in Europe
• Surveys show similar views among Americans and Europeans toward genetically modified foods
• Europe shows little taste for US biotech crops
• US consumers concerned about safety of GM foods
• Consumers still not ready for GM wheat
• Study shows decreasing US consumer acceptance of GM foods
• Five GM food crops withdrawn from Europe
• GM crops are economic disaster: report
• Most U.S. consumers still unaware of genetically modified foods
• millions of dollars wasted, as no market for GM sugar beet
• American shoppers believe organic foods are healthier, are confused about genetically modified foods
• Europeans show little appetite for biotech foods