SURVEYS:

Many surveys of Australian farmer attitudes have been done and all reveal the concern of farmers.

The most extensive survey was undertaken by the Kondinin Goup and published in their March 2003 "Farming Ahead" magazine and reported "An overwhelming 81 per cent of Kondinin Group members surveyed were opposed or were wary of GM crops because they believed it was not what customers wanted and it could threaten non-GM markets."

 

The Kondinin Groups 2002 National Agricultural Survey of 1029 members showed 45% were against, 36% were unsure and only 19% gave conditional support or supported the introduction. Support for introduction could also include support for trials only and other conditional factors.

 

The Statewide breakdown showed:

New South Wales: 52% against, 30% unsure and 18% for.

West Australia: 47% against, 39% unsure and 14% against.

Victoria: 48% against, 36% unsure and 16% for.

South Australia: 41% against, 41% unsure and 18% for.

Queensland: 25% against, 38% unsure and 37% for.

Tasmania: 14% against, 43% unsure and 43% for.

 

There was no survey distinction made between GM varieties. NSW, WA and Victoria are the main canola growing states, Queensland is the main cotton growing state and Tasmania the main poppy growing state. It must be noted that neither cotton nor poppies are faced with market rejection of GM crops grown primarily for food and GM cotton has given a financial advantage to farmers that is not evident with GM canola. This would account for more support in the states where canola is not grown.

 

- 25% of these only gave conditional support which should be countered into the equation. Conditional support included reasons such as strict trials and research to continue, that market research continue, that crops were only engineered for environmental tolerance such as drought, disease and salinity and not herbicide resistance. There needs to be more awareness amongst farmers that these tolerances can also be achieved with non-GM biotechnology research and development integrated with more conventional breeding programs.

- 35% felt GM crops would increase production and lower costs. Although this has been promoted by the GM industry, there is no evidence of this in GM canola but there is clear evidence that production has not been increased, and clear evidence that costs will increase (particularly for segregation).

The need to "feed the world" was also given for reason for support, however, again this is clearly a promotional line only and not a reality.

Others would only support GM crops if the main benefits were to consumers and farmers (not multinational companies) and if they did not jeopardise Australia's current markets. Again there is clear evidence that with GM canola, multinationals are the main beneficiaries and Australian markets will be jeopardised.

Some farmers showed a clear resignation to GM crops with a comment "there is no point in fighting the inevitable" being made.

 

Victorian farmers opposed to GM canola
The document features excerpts of the ICM Acribuisness survey, conducted via telephone interviews, with Victorian cropping farmers, who are currently growing over 500 hectares of crop on their land.

Download PDF (86 KB)

 

SA farmers not ready for GM crops - survey - 

South Australian farmers are not ready to embrace genetically-modified crops.

That's the key message from a survey sent to four-thousand members of the South Australian Farmers Federation.

Leigh Radford reports the survey results show overwhelming opposition to the release of GM crops in that state. “A statistically definitive sample of 25 per cent of surveyed farmers revealed that 70 per cent believe there is too little information on the subject.”

Of those surveyed, 66 per cent are concerned about the market implications of GMOs.
“Most extraordinary of all, 80 per cent of South Australian Farmers support a moratorium on the release of any GM crops in that state.”

President John Lush says it's sent his federation a clear and unmistakable message. “They're saying obviously very clearly to us, that as a Farmers Federation that we're not ready to have GM crops yet. We just want to take a big deep breath and let some of this stuff sort itself out. We're just not going to have a bar of the release of GM crops at this stage.”

abc radio news (more here)

Biotechnology Australia showed surveys revealing rural people saw higher risks and lower benefits from GM foods and crops than their metropolitan counterparts. According to a survey in 2002, city dwellers saw reduced chemical use (15%) and higher yields (17%) as benefits while only 12% of rural Australians saw these benefits. The majority of Australians surveyed believed the risks involved in GM food and crops, outweighed the benefits.

In August 2003, Biotechnology Australia released a nationwide study of 500 crop growers. Key findings showed 74% of farmers surveyed were not considering using GM crops at this stage.

 

Interestingly, farm lobby group representatives declined an offer to fund an extensive survey of their members as they claim they wanted to make decisions for farmers. (more)

Extracts:

"56 per cent of the 1000 respondents to a South Australian Farmers Federation survey said they would not support commercialisation unless they were guaranteed that there would be no genetic pollution of non-GM crops. About 80% said a moratorium on GM commercialisation was appropriate."

"The Victorian and West Australian farmers' federation and the NSW Farmers' Association said they had seen the results of the South Australian poll but had no intention of doing their own. The NSWFA gene technology spokesman, Hugh Roberts, said the South Australian survey was "not very useful" and was not a representative sample. He said  "not all the information is out there" and people needed to hear more before forming an opinion. His view was that Australia should push ahead with GM crops. Paul Weller, from the VFF, said delegates at its last annual meeting voted not to survey members."

At this VFF meeting it was expressed by a VFF delegate that farmers were too ignorant to vote. (more)

 

While individuals claiming to represent farmers may be pro-GM, Australian farmers are clearly not.

 

A recent Choice consumer survey (here)  of 645 members confirms the Australian consumer rejection of GM foods.

I have serious concerns and very worried - 47%

I have some concerns and are somewhat worried - 37%

I have no concerns and not at all worried - 11%

I don't know enough about the issues to have an opinion - 5%

This survey also revealed that 75% of consumers want GM canola oil labelled.

 

Our domestic market is significant, why would we want to jeopardise it?

 

Julie Newman

Network of Concerned Farmers