The Gene Technology Amendment (2019 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2019 will become law on 8th October 2019, unless the Senate disallows them.
Along with many other organisations, AFSA wrote to Shadow Health Minister Chris Bowen to demand that all GMOs continue to be assessed for safety before any release.
You can call on our policy makers to reject this deregulation – simply use the template below with your own name and details, and send to the Shadow Minister and your local member.
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To The Hon Chris Bowen,
Please disallow the Gene Technology Amendment (2019 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2019. We need Labour’s support to disallow this amendment.
I am writing on behalf of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA), who are part of a global movement opposing the introduction of GMOs into the food chain without adequate regulation and scant consideration for human health.
If you allow these amendments to pass, our families risk eating untested, unlabelled genetically modified (GM) foods – including animals. Powerful scientific evidence shows that new GM techniques such as CRISPR pose risks that require expert assessment and management. It’s vital that gene edited organisms are assessed for safety before being released into our environment and supermarkets. The future health of our children and grandchildren rests on the decisions you make on their behalf in your role as our Shadow Minister representing us on all matters that relate to human health. The politics of appeasing big business must not outweigh the benefits to future generations for good health outcomes from the food system.
Federal agencies that should be protecting us have sided with the biotech industry and are proposing to deregulate a range of risky new GM techniques. The Office of Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) relied on out-dated advice from scientists with serious conflicts of interest to reach their decision.
The European Union’s top court ruled that the new GM techniques pose similar risks to older GM methods and must be assessed for safety in the same way. Reviews commissioned by the Austrian and Norwegian Governments agree.
Under the proposed regulatory changes, Australia would be the first country in the world to deregulate the use of these new GM techniques in animals. This is likely to result in trade disruptions. Key export markets such as Europe and China have zero tolerance for GM products they have not approved.
Please protect our health, environment and export markets by ensuring that all GM techniques continue to be regulated by disallowing the Gene Technology Amendment (2019 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2019.
Sincerely,
Tammi Jonas, President
Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance