CANBERRA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Australian farmers face inconsistent rules on genetically modified (GM) and organic crops, leading to confusion and potential disputes, experts said.
Currently in Australia, there is no overarching legal framework for the coexistence of GM and non-GM crops. Instead, regulation fall to industries, with various standards and codes applied differently across sectors, according to a statement released Friday by Australia's University of Adelaide.
"Sectors have different thresholds for how much genetically modified material a farmer can have in their crop before it is considered organic, non-GM or otherwise," said lead researcher Michail Ivanov from University of Adelaide, whose review was published in Griffith Law Review.
Farmers face conflicting requirements from different sectors, including private organic certifiers, Ivanov said.
Australia currently approves five GM crops for commercial cultivation: cotton, canola, Indian mustard, safflower and bananas, a list expected to expand, Ivanov said.
The review recalls the high-profile 2015 Marsh v Baxter court case in the state of Western Australia, when an organic farmer lost a claim against a neighbor over GM canola contamination. 10 years on, the case has left uncertainties about how similar disputes might be resolved, it said.
The rise of genome-edited (GE) crops highlights the need to reconsider Australia's regulatory frameworks before inconsistency between GM regulations extends to GE regulations, Ivanov said.
Federal parliament is considering a National Organic Standard Bill that would create a uniform national system, which Ivanov hopes will bring greater consistency to organic regulation. ■
