THE national crop of genetically modified canola is expected to quadruple compared to last year's debut harvest, as more farmers embrace the benefits of growing the herbicide-resistant strain.
However, GM-free canola remains the overwhelmingly popular choice of growers, with big buyers such as Elders refusing to use silos handling the GM version for fear of upsetting overseas markets.
And conventional canola growers remain concerned about contamination of their crops by the GM version.
Anti-GM groups, maintaining that contamination is "inevitable", have claimed there are GM canola weeds growing by the roadside in Horsham, coupled with the alleged contamination of beehives last month.
Victoria and NSW are the only states that permit GM canola to be commercially harvested since state moratoriums were lifted in 2007.
Canola, the nation's third-largest crop by area, is the only food crop in Australia where a GM version is permitted.
Opponents of GM food crops say their long-term health impacts are unknown and wind, pollen, vehicles or animals can blow their seeds into non-GM crops and contaminate them.
Australian Oilseeds Federation executive director Nick Goddard said 40,000 hectares of GM canola were expected to be harvested in coming weeks, yielding 52,000 tonnes of crop.
This compared to 12,000 tonnes from 9600 hectares last year, the first time GM canola was commercially harvested.
But Mr Goddard said the 52,000 tonnes was small compared to the overall national canola harvest of 1.8 million tonnes, with demand remaining strong for non-GM canola.
He said farmers in Victoria and NSW were becoming more accepting of GM canola, driving the harvest increase.
"It's really growers seeing the benefits of the technology," he said. "They can use the Roundup herbicide, which is a bit softer compared to the regular herbicide.
"They don't need to go backwards and forwards on the tractor to put as much herbicide down, so they're using less diesel. They're also able to plant into the stubble of the previous crop, so they don't have to plough the field as much. Growers are seeing cost benefits."
Still, big canola buyers such as CBH and Elders confirm they will only buy GM-free canola, to satisfy major European and Japanese customers.
Europe has only just relaxed a moratorium on buying GM canola, but is unlikely to be importing canola of any kind due to a bumper domestic harvest. Japan, said Mr Goddard, prefers GM canola from Canada and non-GM canola from Australia.
The expanded GM canola crop this year means 12 GrainCorp silos in Victoria and five in NSW will receive both GM and non-GM canola, stored in separate bins. Last year, only two silos in Victoria did this.
Dozens of other silos - GrainCorp would not confirm the exact number - are only receiving non-GM canola.
Bob Phelps, director of the anti-GM group Gene Ethics, said non-GM buyers such as Elders were refusing to buy at the silos where both GM and non-GM canola were stored out of fear of receiving contaminated product.
He said there was insufficient separation of the two crops at the silos and a real risk of cross-contamination between the two storage bins.
Elders declined to comment to The Sunday Age but head of trading Michael Hein last month told the Wimmera Mail Times "non-GM growers will have to ensure that they don't deliver to both GM and traditional sites because we won't be able to purchase it".
Jessica Harrison, of anti-GM group CropWatch, said not only was there risk of cross-contamination at silos, trucks delivering GM canola to the silos would spill some of their crop on the road.
"It's likely that the seeds are going to spread along the roads leading to the silos, which means that this time next year, a lot of the roadside weeds are going to be GM."
Greenpeace this month said GM canola pollen had contaminated a beehive near Bannockburn in Western Victoria.
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