Agriculture warning against Australia’s use of clean green image
Finally, someone has raised this “clean green” image thing about Australia. See media release from the Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE).
I regularly see the argument against GM crops being that it will destroy or harm Australia’s clean green image. I want to know how our agriculture differs from anywhere else in the industrialised world as far as use of the plough, herbicide, pesticide, artificial fertiliser…and so on.
Professor Ravi Naidu, said that despite excellent food regulation and safeguards in Australia, we and other citizens of industrialised countries face an unprecedented cocktail of toxic substances in our daily lives. He also says we simply don’t know enough about the rapidly increasing range of nanoparticles being used in the manufacturing sector, or how they will behave in our bodies or affect our health, but that is another issue.
For now, unless someone can explain to me why Australia should present itself as being ‘clean and green’ I think we need to re-think this marketing strategy before someone see through this thin veil. I especially don’t see it as a valid argument against growing GM crops.
Jason