AUSTRALIA'S former chief scientist says the time for debate over genetically modified crops in Australia has past and farmers need to get out and talk up their safety and benefits or be left behind.
Dr Jim Peacock, who was the country's top scientist between 2006 and 2008, told delegates at this week's National Farmers' Federation congress in Brisbane that it's time to trust the regulators and get on with growing crops that will have major benefits for not just farmers, but also for human health and the environment.
Dr Peacock explained there are about 125 million hectares of GM crops grown in the world which was now a significant proportion of the total arable cropping area of the planet.
He said in each of these crops, between one and three genes has been added to the plant's existing 30,000 genes, yet those one to three genes have made a big difference to the plant, in protecting them against weeds and insect pests, and now in boosting the health attributes of particular cereal and oil-based foods.
So far, the direct benefits have been to the farmer and to the environment, but Dr Peacock said soon we will see GM crops and food products begin to have a direct effect for the consumer.
In a couple of months supermarkets will be marketing the first breakfast cereal made from a low glycaemic index, high fibre barley variety called Barley Max.
Trials of Barley Max have shown it to be of "positive value in relation to glucose concentrations in the bloodstream and in the concentrations of fibre in the colon", Dr Peacock said.
"This type of barley was first developed by GM research knowledge with the addition of one single gene aimed at stopping the action of another gene in barley, with marvellous results for human health," Dr Peacock said.
"The adjustment of the nutritional value of grains and other crop products will be one of the most important strategies in increasing the value and global competitiveness of our agricultural products in the future.
"The adjustment of the make-up of the starches, proteins, oils, and anti-oxidants in our food grains will be of extreme value to huge numbers of people around the world in preventative health."
Dr Peacock believes the changes in these plants means farmers will also be able to produce what the consumer really wants to have and what the market says is needed.
"In these situations there still needs to be full safety testing of the modified plants but I think it's clear that we can expect to have products on the supermarket shelves that will be of value and convenience to the consumer in the future," Dr Peacock said.
"I'm honestly convinced that the time for argument about the need, safety and benefits of GM crops - including benefits to the environment, farmer and consumer - that time is gone. It's just not an argument any more.
"What we need to do is to make sure that in every single case proposed there should be the highest possible regime of safety testing and performance testing."
Dr Peacock argued it was now time to trust the regulatory authorities – which were excellent, he said - to regulate food crops in the same way they are trusted with non-food crops.
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