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GM foods opposed, medicines accepted
July 28, 2002 4:52pm
Peter Trott
07/27/2002
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While there is opposition to the production of genetically
modified (GM) crops in Australia, other GM products are accepted.
The latter include medicines and enzymes for cheese making. Another
use for genetic modification is the production of foods which offer
a secondary benefit, or functional foods, such as potatoes
containing a hepatitis B vaccine, and "golden rice" which has high
levels of vitamin A and iron and could save sight and even lives in
Third World countries. The Western Australian (WA) Department of
Agriculture is at the forefront of cereal breeding, and CSIRO's
plant industry chief, Jim Peacock, says Australia must use its
intellectual property to create value-added products. A group of WA
farmers oppose GM crops, however, because of the danger of
contamination, and others oppose them because of the demands of
companies such as Monsanto, which develop them.
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