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American Corn Growers chief warns Australians about pitfalls of transgenic crops

(June 27, 2001 -- CropChoice news) -- Avoiding the cultivation of transgenic crops would help Australian farmers capture a larger share of export markets, Gary Goldberg said during his address to a conference of the Australian Institute of Health, Law and Ethics. Goldberg is chief executive officer of the American Corn Growers Association.

He told conference attendees that none of the biotechnology industry promises of higher yields and reduced pesticide use has come true. And even if they were to, the costs of using the technology wouldn't offset revenue lost because of consumer rejection. This is precisely what has happened with U.S. sales to Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.

"The technology does not do you any good if you can't sell the product," he said.

Although Australian farmers produce no transgenic crops, the agriculture-biotechnology industry has contracted with some growers to conduct field trials.

Source: Reuters