By Deanna Lush, Thursday, 18 August 2005 - ABB Grain chair, Perry Gunner, says there have been commercial implications as a result of discovery of GM traces in a canola shipment to Japan. Speaking at the 2005 SA Agribusiness Showdown conference, Mr. Gunner said ABB's customer had on-sold the canola to another client as GM free. But both customers were disillusioned because ABB had known about the contamination for two months, but could not pass on information because of processes in Australia, Mr Gunner said. And now they would be wondering how to deal with the fact Australia may not be free of GM canola. He said it was not a case of them preferring to buy Australian canola with its lower oil content, but rather it was on-sold because of its GM-free status. "They don't know what to do and we don't know what to tell them about future shipments," he said.

 

SOURCE: Extract from report in the Stock Journal, SA, August 18 issue.

 

Canola industry urged to clarify GM issue
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 10 October 2005
http://www.abc.net.au/rural/content/2005/s1478650.htm

A major east coast canola crusher has warned the domestic industry to sort out the genetically modified canola issue or risk losing premium markets.

There have been reports of GM contamination of up to 0.5 per cent in some commercial canola varieties.

Pete MacSmith, from MacSmith Milling in New South Wales, says his customers are becoming concerned they are paying a premium for canola, which may not be GM-free.

"What our customers and what everyone's customers are looking for is certainty," Mr MacSmith said.

"Japan as we know already takes GM canola from countries such as Canada and I know it's hard to believe for canola growers given where the price is at the moment, but canola from the east coast of Australia at the moment is relatively expensive in world terms due to the much smaller crop.

"If our customers in Japan are going to pay a higher price they need some sort of certainty as to the status of that crop."

Souce: GMWatch