GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROP SEED NOT IN CONTROL-GREENS

Greens MP Kris Hanna today questioned how GM canola has contaminated conventional crops in South Australia – 2 months after he called on the Minister for Agriculture to look into this issue.

Back in July, Mr Hanna wrote to the Minister that “ … the potential for further contamination of canola for export from South Australia represents a significant threat to South Australian exporters of non-GM crops to GM sensitive markets … .”

The Minister stated in a written reply, “I do not believe that the GM canola trials represent a risk of rejection of export cereal grains, as these sites operate on a mandatory closed loop basis”.”

As reported in The Advertiser today, conventional canola trial crops in South Australia have been detected with genetically modified canola traits.

“I am calling on the GM Crop Advisory Committee to immediately rule that those “conventional” canola crops are in fact GM crops.”, said Mr Hanna.

Mr Hanna today in Parliament asked the Minister: “What steps did the Minister take to test South Australia GM canola crops after I wrote to him in July referring to trace amounts of GM canola in commercial canola in Victoria and he referred this issue to the GM Crop Advisory Committee for advice?”

“The GM Cat is getting out of the bag and the Rann Government must move quickly to introduce vigorous testing to identify and ultimately eradicate genetically modified canola from South Australia.”

Media release here

HANNAH SUPPORTS LATHAM ON LABOR LIFESTYLE

A Former Labor MP, Mr Hannah has expressed agreement with former Oppostion Leader Mark Latham's view of that party, describing it as a "mafia-like operation" that communicated by "gossip, smear, intimidation and humiliation"

"In the parliamentary arena and particularly in the major parties you can look at it on a couple of different levels," he said.

"One is the psychological where you are dealing with some of the most rabid egos in the country.

"You have to have an ego to get in that place.

"But it seems that the ones who do the best in the practice of politics are the egos which exemplify callousness, cunning, dissimulation and persistence in the face of an unhealthy lifestyle."

Mr Hanna said there was a very strict hierarchy with a warlord-like system, exemplified by various factions and factional chiefs.

NINEMSN story here.