Monsanto modified politics
John Brumby bowed to pressure from big agribusiness bully, Monsanto, in late November and overturned bans on GM food crops in Victoria. He did not consult caucus. New South Wales also lifted its bans on the same day.
Brumby refused to release Victorian Chief Scientist Sir Gustav Nossal’s report on the impact of lifting the ban. The report only looked at the economics of GM, not the science, environmental or social impacts. Who is this Sir Gustav Nossal? Besides being a long term and vocal advocate for GM, he’s the same “Sir” that was paid by the “Pangea” consortium to push an outback radio-active dump scheme in 1999 to take the world’s glowing wastes. He was a fierce advocate but again lacked any scientific arguments. He is just a highly paid yes-man with a fancy title. In 2000, Howard made him Australian of the Year. Then later, Bracks made him “Chief Scientist” for the Primary Industries dept.
Jill (thanks to Crikey and Peter)