Rural delivery: Cast vote on GE with your wallet

By BILL BAILEY*

I recently met an old friend who has a rather dirty agricultural secret - he grows genetically modified (GM) corn and soybeans on his farm in the United States.

While that secret didn't come out until several beers had been consumed, I could tell he wanted to get the secret out in the open.

Now that I know, I wonder: is he part of the problem or part of the solution for a major issue that is troubling New Zealanders?

My friend hasn't always been a troublemaker. In the past, his farming practices were very conservative, conventional and certainly not controversial. However, he thinks that environmentalists seem to have changed things.

Because of American Government rules, written at the behest of many environmental organisations, he now uses no-till farming, makes a concerted effort to be as exact as possible with herbicide applications and does as little damage to the soil as possible. He doesn't really have a problem with the Government regulations, knowing that they were written to assure that farmland remains as productive tomorrow as it is today.

However, and this is where the first indication of a personal conflict arises, he says that a key part of this sustainable farming effort is the use of GM seed.

He is fully convinced of a direct link between the use of GM crops and Government efforts to reduce erosion and to increase use of sustainable farming practices. Farmers in countries that do not have strict environmental regulations - China, Brazil and Argentina, for example - feel little need to use GM seeds.

But while he opposes erosion and supports a clean environment as much as anyone, he still farms to make a profit. And this is where another conflict arises. He says it is still more profitable to grow GM crops than non-GM crops.

Although there is a 3 per cent price premium on non-GM corn and soybeans, the difference is not enough for him to change his farming practices or to be in conflict with Government regulations.

While he tries to get as high a price for his crops as possible, he understands that consumers want to pay as little as possible.

He recalled consumer reaction to the use by farmers of a product, bST (bovine somatotropin), designed to increase milk production in dairy cows. The consumer outcry was loud and negative. Consumers opposed bST milk at least until they reached the grocery store. There, they voted with their dollars. Non-bST milk, the natural alternative, lost because it was more expensive.

It is a similar situation, he thinks, with GM crops. Consumers want the more expensive product but they are simply not willing to pay for it. He believes that people need to use their wallets and purses, not chant slogans, to make a difference.

As a farmer, he wants to be part of the solution for the GM issue. But, unfortunately, he is seen as part of the problem.

* Bill Bailey is Massey University professor of agribusiness.

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