THE WA Conservation Council (CCWA) has called for an urgent clean-up of what it has described as a "genetically modified time bomb" at Williams.
The group cites GM and non-GM segregation reasons for its concern but a number of industry commentators, including WA Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman disagreed.
Last week CCWA released the findings of its most recent survey of 'Roadside Fugitive GM (Roundup Ready) Canola Plants at Williams.'
A media release disseminated by the organisation on October 16 stated that the survey found "more than half of the fugitive canola plants growing on the edge of Albany Highway in the GM-Free heartland of Williams are genetically modified plants".
CCWA said the survey, which took place at the start of October along a 10 kilometre stretch of highway north of Williams, tested 53 plants and found that 62 per cent of the "fugitive" plants were genetically modified despite GM crops making up less than eight per cent of the 2011 harvest.
CCWA citizen science co-ordinator, Nic Dunlop, said the "very high concentration" of roadside canola plants in the area was both unexpected and alarming.
"The GM component of the 2011 canola crop was probably less than eight per cent which would normally be further diluted by non-GM seed from nearly two decades of conventional canola transport," Mr Dunlop said.
"One or two per cent might be expected but 62pc indicates that some local factor or factors must be concentrating GM plants."
Mr Dunlop went on to say the numbers might have been related to the botched clean-up of the well-publicised August 2011 GM canola truck spill or the use of Roundup by Main Roads WA in its roadside weed management program.
He said clearly the government's monitoring of the spread of GM canola by road transport was totally inadequate.
"An urgent clean-up of what is clearly now a GM canola infestation is now required to ensure ongoing crop segregation in the Williams shire," Mr Dunlop said.
"A thorough inquiry is also needed as to the effectiveness of the 2011 truck spill clean-up and the potential for unknown areas of contamination well away from the truck-spill site."
Mr Dunlop believed the results also demonstrated the problem Main Roads WA and local government had in controlling roadside weeds.
He said the operation of the 'polluter pays' principle would avoid the problem so that clean-up wouldn't be paid for by non-beneficiaries and local ratepayers.
"The survey further demonstrates the implausibility of the State Government's stated objectives of segregating GM and non-GM canola crops and products," Mr Dunlop said.
Mr Redman said he didn't believe the CCWA report was aimed at resolving alleged segregation issues and that the Australian grains industry had segregated canola from paddock to market very effectively for a number of years while demonstrating it could maintain the 0.9pc tolerance for non-GM and GM varieties.
"We've been doing it successfully for a whole range of grains and I don't accept the notion of canola being fugitive," he said.
"What is being produced is perfectly legal and has been approved by the appropriate Federal authorities.
"You just don't see canola proliferating on the side of the road."
CBH's grain quality manager Mathew Regan was also wary of the outcome of the CCWA roadside survey.
With regard to the GM spill site at Williams, Mr Regan said CBH had gone over and above its responsibilities in terms of cleaning the site and maintaining a level of supervision to help minimise any perceived issues on location.
The spill occurred outside CBH's bulk handling system and involved a truck which wasn't a CBH vehicle but Mr Regan said as a responsible industry co-operative CBH acted immediately and decisively to manage the incident, ensuring the protection of growers in the area and the markets they exported to.
"Since the spill we have reminded all transporters and marketers that it's the responsibility of road contractors and the owners of loads to address any issues which arise from load spillages," he said.
"At some point others need to recognise that this is not CBH's responsibility."
CBH wasn't prepared to comment on the validity or conclusions of the CCWA study but pointed to the fact the study recognised particularly high concentrations of GM canola weeds 7.5 kilometres away from the spill site.
"CBH remains very capable of receiving, testing, segregating and out-turning both GM and non-GM canola and if end users are worried then they should look to go through our system for a peace of mind," Mr Regan said.
Main Roads WA was also contacted for comment but didn't respond to Farm Weekly's request before the edition went to print.
