Many growers have indicated they will embrace GM technology, should the State Government lift the moratorium on its commercial production in 2010.

The immediate future of GMs in WA will be shaped by the outcomes of a current Government review, with a decision on the moratorium likely to be made some time in January when Parliament reconvenes following the Christmas break.

Monsanto Australia public affairs manager Honi McNaughton said her company anticipated there would be a high demand for GM seed in WA in 2010 if the moratorium was lifted.

She said growers provided strong, positive feedback provided at the GM canola field days held throughout the Wheatbelt during the growing season.

Ms McNaughton said growers were very interested in planting GMs next season, but they could not measure exactly how high the level of demand was, until the moratorium was lifted.

She said commercial GM canola production experienced a four fold increase this season, in Victoria and NSW, the second since those states lifted their moratoriums on the controversial biotechnology.

About 300 graingrowers dedicated 600 paddocks to the crop for a total of 42,000 hectares, that are expected to produce an estimated 50,000t on GM canola.

Ms McNaughton said the figures constituted about 10pc of NSW and Victoria’s total canola market for the season, which was only 1pc the season before.

In reference to a decision on the GM moratorium in WA, Pacific Seeds WA manager Nick Joyce said it was hard to predict which way the State Government would go at this stage.

Pacific Seeds is one of four seed companies which supplied GM seed for the large scale trials being held in WA this season.