FARMERS and food industry representatives have rallied outside the office of primary industries minister David Basham in response to his decision to knock-back all requests from SA mainland councils to remain GM food crop-free.

Managing director of Gawler’s The Food Forest permaculture farm and supporter of the Keep SA GM-free Coalition, Graham Brookman, called the government’s GM-free process a “sham”.

“Minister Basham ran a sham process, betrayed the councils and their residents, and we lost our chance to promote the state's GM-free products to attract tourists to our GM-free regions,” he said.

“A ‘green arc’ of GM-free councils around Adelaide city and suburbs would sustain the measures needed to protect our clean, green council regions from GM crop intrusions, now and into the future.”

The GM moratorium was lifted for mainland South Australia in May this year but councils had a one-off six-month chance to apply to be designated a GM crop cultivation-free area.

As published in last week’s Bunyip, Gawler and Barossa Councils were two of 11 councils, whose applications to operate as a GM-free area were rejected.

While farmers can make their own decisions as to what type of crop they grow, Mr Brookman said there is concern about cross-pollination from a GM crop to a non-GM crop.

“Where you’ve got canola with that herbicide resistance, within a reasonably short distance of another field, bees and the wind can cause cross-pollination,” he said.

“So if you had a GM canola crop growing close to major vegetable plantings, the gene could easily slip across into one of the other brassica crops, like broccoli, or buk choy.

“If you were actually saving seeds from those plants they would exhibit GM and given that the GM gene is not actually accepted by consumers, you’re contaminating that food effectively and downgrading the value of it; and in the case of organic growers you would sacrifice your certification.”

A media release from minister Basham’s office stated an independent GM Crop Advisory Committee assessed all 11 applications on the merits of demonstrating an economic benefit from remaining GM-free, and provided advice to the State Government.

Mr Basham said outside of Kangaroo Island, no substantial evidence to justify any council area remaining GM-free existed.

“The Marshall Liberal Government has undertaken an exhaustive consultation process on lifting the GM moratorium and the outcome today importantly gives farmers on mainland South Australia the same choice as those across the rest of mainland Australia,” he said.

“By lifting the GM moratorium everywhere except Kangaroo Island, we are backing our farmers and researchers to grow the state’s agriculture sector and create jobs.

“An independent review found so-called price premiums under a GM moratorium in South Australia were a myth and has cost our State’s grain growers at least $33 million since 2004.”

In a statement to the Bunyip, Barossa Mayor Bim Lange said: “It’s disappointing given council has followed the legislative process, but ultimately it’s the decision of the minister.”

Gawler Council was contacted for comment but did not respond by deadline.

Gawler previously turned down spending $20,000 on an independent report into the expected effects of GM crops on the region.