THE advent of commercialised genetically modified (GM) canola cropping in Western Australia in 2010 has seen the national GM canola acreage more than treble, according to Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF) estimates.
And although it is the first year of production in WA, the west already makes up over 50pc of the acreage.
There will be 72,790ha of GM canola in WA out of a national total of 133,330ha, grown in WA, Victoria and NSW, with the latter two states in their third year producing Roundup Ready (RR) canola.
Based on the AOF’s June production estimates, GM plantings will make up around 8pc of the total canola crop of around 1.61 million hectares.
Victoria will be the second largest producer, growing 36,500ha and NSW is estimated to be planting 24,040ha.
The big increase in plantings is being seen as a win for the technology, according to its developers, in spite of the fact the overall canola plantings are also up 15pc, due to a combination of pricing opportunities and favourable seasonal conditions.
In terms of yields, it is expected there will be 160,000 tonnes of GM canola, out of a total predicted crop of 2.2 million tonnes, representing seven percent of estimated production.
Peter O’Keeffe, head of Monsanto Australia, said the increased plantings were a significant story.
“This rapid uptake by technologically savvy Australian growers supports how useful the GM varieties can be in a production system to better manage weeds, reduce tillage, lower fuel use and provide alternatives to residual herbicides,” he said.
He also claimed the increase showed there was widespread approval for the controversial technology among growers.
“These figures clearly indicate that approved GM canola varieties are being embraced by farmers, and that the NSW, Victorian and Western Australian government’s decisions have benefited agriculture by enabling choice-based access to the technology.”
Monsanto licenses the Roundup Ready trait to four specialist seed companies – Canola Breeders, Nuseed, Pioneer and Pacific Seeds, which develop and commercialise new varieties for farmers.
The seed companies told the AOF the demand from WA had been enormous as growers test the fit of Roundup Ready varieties in their production systems, especially in providing a new and reliable means of controlling weeds.
Australian Oilseed Federation Executive Director, Nick Goddard, said in spite of increased production, he was confident the supply chain could cope with co-existence and maintain segregations between GM and non-GM product.
He said the seed from the harvests of the 2008 and 2009 GM varieties have been successfully accumulated, processed and marketed.
“By using the Australian grains industry’s established protocols and procedures, those crops have moved through the supply chain without issue, and we await the 2010 harvest.
“Our supply-chain processes have managed the adoption of this new variety in a way that
meets both market expectations and requirements.”
South Australia now remains the only major canola producing state with a moratorium in place preventing growers from using GM varieties.
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