Have genetically modified crops negatively affected organic production overseas?
In considering the potential impact of the introduction of GM canola on the Australian organics sector, it is pertinent to examine the impact of GM crops on organic production overseas, particularly in countries that have adopted GM crops. In North America, organic farming is one of the fastest growing sectors of agriculture, growing at about 20 per cent per year (Apted and Mazur 2007). Organic production acreage in the United States increased by almost 230 per cent between 1995 and 2005 and organic food sales are estimated to reach over 3 per cent of the US food market by 2010 (Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics 2006; US Department of Agriculture 2006; Weidemann Pastoral Co., sub. 71). In 2005, about four million acres of organic farmland was in production, with about 1.7 million acres dedicated to organic cropping and the remainder being pasture and rangeland for organic livestock production (US Department of Agriculture 2006). The increase in US production of organic c
