David Steve Marsh vs. Monsanto Goliath
By General Maddox.
(Real News Australia) In what’s sure to be a drawn out, tiring and financially draining legal battle, Steve Marsh, an organic farmer from Western Australia, has had his first day in the Western Australia Supreme Court on February 10th. His landmark case will be the pivoting point and serves to set a powerful precedent here in Australia in the battle against GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms).
Should Steve win his case against his neighbour over compensation for the loss of his organic certification due to GMO contamination, it will give rise many other farmers taking a stand against the biotech industry here in Australia and even the world. In the event he wins, it will give them confidence enough to refer to the precedent set by Steve Marsh and allow our farmers to say no to GMO’s ruining their livelihoods.
On the other hand, should Steve be unsuccessful and lose his fight our legal system will firmly cement it’s position in support of biotech companies like Monsanto and those that support the GMO industry. It will indeed be a sad day for all Australians as farmers across the country will back down knowing that it’s not worth the fight when you know who the system is supporting.
So why all the hubbub? Take a look at this short 6 minute clip to learn about Steve’s case and get you up to speed.
There appears to be a misconception here in Australia with regards to the abundance of GM goods on our supermarket shelves. Were you aware that GM crops can be grown in Australia? There are in fact two very widely used products currently farmed here in Australia that are allowed to be grown as genetically modified. They are:
COTTON
Genetically modified cotton has been grown commercially in Australia since 1996. The cotton has been modified so that it is insect resistant, herbicide tolerant or both. Cotton seed from GM cotton is crushed to produce cotton seed oil, which is widely used for cooking. Cottonseed meal can be used in stockfeed.
CANOLA (Rapeseed)
GM canola, modified for herbicide tolerance, was approved for commercial production in Australia in 2003. However the states in which canola was being grown at the time placed bans — bans which were only lifted by NSW and Victoria in 2008. WA also currently allows commercial growing of GM canola crops. Canola oil is used in margarine-type spreads, dairy blends and as an ingredient in tinned and snack foods. Canola meal is often used in stockfeed. Please see here for more detailed info on Canola (Rapeseed)
Well if you thought that was bad enough were you aware that Department of Gene Technology has approved trials of other crops to be carried out here in Australia?
TRIALS
Field trials of pineapple, papayas, wheat, barley and sugarcane are underway in Australia. These products have been modified for insect resistance, herbicide tolerance, color, oil production, sugar composition, flowering and fruit development. Gene technology research is also underway in Australia on bananas, rice and corn.
So what happens if these trial fields contaminate our already existing farms of the same products? If it could happen to Steve Marsh by his neighbour then surely there’s a chance it could happen to others.
There are in fact 109 GMO trial sites currently in Australia. Yes, 109! Multinational biotech companies such as Monsanto and Bayer Crop Science are among them. See for yourself. Genetically Modified Organisms Field Trial Sites.
Is it beginning to be a little clearer now just how prevalent GMO’s are here in our own backyard? And we haven’t even touched on the imported products. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), allows manufacturers to use a wide range of GM food ingredients imported from overseas. These include specific GM varieties of soybeans, corn, rice, potatoes and sugarbeet. So the next time you read your food labels, (which you should be be doing) and you see the text that says, “Made in Australia from local and imported ingredients”, perhaps you should put it back on the shelf where it belongs. It’s up to us, the public, to demand organic non-genetically modified foods on our supermarket shelves. If we don’t buy them they will stop selling them. It’s as simple as that.
Please show your support for Steve Marsh in this landmark case. He needs all the help he can get. Donate to Steve here.
Real News Australia 
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The implications of this proliferation of GM crops in Australia are frightening. As usual our health and agricultural ‘authorities’ have failed in their due diligence and duty of care by allowing this to happen, despite growing evidence that GM foods are unsafe.
And it’s not just organic farmers who are suffering. GM farmers around the world are finding GM crops don’t live up to what they were promised, and many are suffering poor yields and reduced incomes, as well as the emergence of superweeds. Many are in a vicious cycle of debt to the biotech companies they have signed up with.