Fears GM wheat could harm Japan trade

The Western Australian Opposition says it is worried genetically modified (GM) wheat, from a trial in the great southern, will threaten trade with Japan if it contaminates non-GM crops.

A private farm in Corrigin has been selected as the site for a proposed trial of GM wheat and barley, due to begin this year.

The Opposition's agriculture spokesman, Mick Murray, says Japanese buyers, who buy 860,000 tonnes of wheat from WA each year, have told the Government they do not want GM wheat.

Mr Murray says the Government needs to assure farmers that they can contain the GM material and says a failure to do so could threaten farmers' livelihoods.

"I'm very concerned that if these trials are on a medium or even a small scale and the contamination gets into our wheat crops, it will be very hard to control and probably jeopardise our trade with Japan," he said.


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