Can anyone, shorten this news article?

WA govt accused of caving in to GM lobby

14th November 2008, 15:45 WST

The West Australian government has caved in to pressure from lobbyists by lifting a ban on genetically modified cotton crops, the WA Conservation Council says.

The West Australian government today announced it would lift a moratorium on the commercial production of GM cotton in the East Kimberley region’s Ord River Irrigation Area in the state’s north.

Conservation Council director Piers Verstegen said the government had succumbed to pressure from the GM industry, despite community concerns.

“Once GM crops are introduced there is no going back. We will lose our reputation as a clean, green state for agricultural production,” Mr Verstegen said.

Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman said the decision followed extensive GM cotton trials in the area during the past decade.

“Over the years, trials of GM cotton in the Ord have frequently out-yielded Australian production by about 10 per cent,” Mr Redman said.

“These trials have shown that there are no agronomic problems, including the control of insects, in growing GM cotton in the Ord.

“Importantly, there have been no environmental concerns with the crops.”

The trials were conducted under the supervision of the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator, the WA Department of Agriculture and Food, and the CSIRO.

Mr Verstegen said Mr Redman had previously told an anti-GM rally at state parliament that he would listen to community views before a decision on the issue was made.

“He has not honoured that commitment and today’s announcement demonstrates that this government is open for business with the GM industry but quite happy to ignore the legitimate concerns of the WA community,” he said.

A 2007 report into GM crops estimated GM cotton would be worth more than $50 million a year to the region and would generate 200 full-time jobs.

More than 90 per cent of Australia’s cotton crop was already GM and the use of GM cotton would reduce chemical use in the Ord, Mr Redman said.

“In the 1970s, WA tried growing non-GM cotton and it was a disaster, with the plants infested with pests,” he said.

“Growers had to spray pesticides up to 40 times each season.

“In comparison, our GM cotton trials have only required two spray applications with insecticides that are far more environmentally-friendly than the now-banned DDT used in the 1970s.”

Opening up the Ord to GM cotton could relieve stress on the Murray-Darling system, Mr Redman said.

“Cotton growers facing severe water shortages in the eastern states will also have an alternative site that is well supplied with water all year round, and we may see some of their operations move to the Ord, providing relief to the Murray-Darling system,” he said.

But Mr Verstegen said GM cotton had not performed well in other countries and pesticide use had not been substantially reduced.

“Cotton is a crop that is extremely intensive in chemical and water use and the experience with GM cotton in other countries has shown that the use of pesticides is not reduced substantially as claimed,” Mr Verstegen said.

The WA government is reconsidering a moratorium on GM canola and assessing risk management issues surrounding the oilseed crop in GM form.

PERTH