The agriculture minister of Western Australia is moving to repeal the state’s GM Crop Free Areas Act with repeal by the state Parliament almost certain, says Australia’s ABC News. Agriculture Minister Ken Baston planned to introduce the repeal legislation on Thursday, “a move which pro-GM advocates said would safeguard the industry’s future.” With repeal, farmers in the vast state would be allowed to grow any crop that is approved by the national government.
The anti-GMO law was enacted 12 years ago but with a change in party control in 2008, growers have been permitted to grow genetically modified cotton and canola. The Labor Party, which authored the law originally, has said it would enforce the ban if it wins the 2017 state election. Baston said repeal would “give certainty for the businesses which operate the farms.” ABC said, “Figures provided by seed producer Monsanto indicate the amount of GM canola grown in WA has grown significantly in recent years, moving from less than 100,000 hectares in 2011 to nearly 350,000 this year.”