Australiatreats imported grain to destroy traces of GM

Agence France Presse
January 9, 2003

Australian quarantineofficials Thursday began the complex and
high-security task of unloading a bulk import of maize which contains
genetically modified grain.

A crippling drought forced Australia to import the 50,000 tonnes of
US-grown maize, the first bulk import of feed grain in seven years, and it
is being processed to prevent the spread of genetically modified (GM) seed
in Australia, officials said.

"We've had a lot of practice but there's always new factors to consider and
the fact that this was GM material, there was an extra set of
requirements," quarantine spokesman Carson Creagh told AFP. "This wasa
high-risk product just from a quarantine point of view. There was the
possibility of exotic pests or diseases."

Creagh said the initial stages of the unloading, which began early
Thursday, had gone smoothly.

"There was no insect contamination, no spills, no problems with wind --
that was always a concern -- the possibility of wind blowing material away
from where it was supposed to be," he said.

"But the shrouding we had in place and all those systems worked perfectly.
We're very happy with the results."

The corn will be milled, steamed and made into pellets in a high-security
process to prevent GM seed germinating in Australia.

The only genetically modified crops allowed to be grown commercially in
Australia are cotton and carnations.

Creagh said the treatment to prevent the spread of GM seeds was vital for
Australia's grain exports, Creagh said.

Many countries ban the importation of GM grain.

The feed shipment was the first of four ordered to provide relief to
Australia's struggling farmers.

The first of three shipments of wheat from Britain is also due later this
month.

The worst drought in a century has wiped out harvests and cut breeding
stock while slashing billions of dollars from agricultral export revenues.