❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses GM food labelling, with the Minister outlining the current 1% tolerance level and expressing willingness to consider WA's position, balancing compliance costs and community expectations. The Speaker intervenes to maintain order during interjections.
AnsweredQoN 104Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GENETICALLY MODIFIED COTTON OIL
I have a supplementary question. Will the minister give a commitment to the people of Western Australia that he will pursue every avenue possible on the labelling of all genetically modified foods? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I have given the member an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. I do not think he asked everybody in the house for their opinion. I think he asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food. The minister has the call. Mr D.T. REDMAN
I have a supplementary question. Will the minister give a commitment to the people of Western Australia that he will pursue every avenue possible on the labelling of all genetically modified foods? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I have given the member an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. I do not think he asked everybody in the house for their opinion. I think he asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food. The minister has the call. Mr D.T. REDMAN
AnswerView source ↗
The present position on genetically modified food labelling is that there is a one per cent level of tolerance. Any food product with more than a one per cent GM content needs to be labelled as such. I ask the member if he supports that position. That is the current federal position on that issue. That is the position that Food Standards Australia New Zealand has taken, and we need to look at that. I am happy to consider options that people put to me—a number of people are raising these issues with me—about what position Western Australia might take. A big part of this issue I think we need to be very careful about is the cost of compliance versus the community expectation of having good labelling so that it knows and understands what it is consuming.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I have given the member an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. I do not think he asked everybody in the house for their opinion. I think he asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food. The minister has the call. Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: The present position on genetically modified food labelling is that there is a one per cent level of tolerance. Any food product with more than a one per cent GM content needs to be labelled as such. I ask the member if he supports that position. That is the current federal position on that issue. That is the position that Food Standards Australia New Zealand has taken, and we need to look at that. I am happy to consider options that people put to me—a number of people are raising these issues with me—about what position Western Australia might take. A big part of this issue I think we need to be very careful about is the cost of compliance versus the community expectation of having good labelling so that it knows and understands what it is consuming.
The SPEAKER : I have given the member an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. I do not think he asked everybody in the house for their opinion. I think he asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food. The minister has the call. Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: The present position on genetically modified food labelling is that there is a one per cent level of tolerance. Any food product with more than a one per cent GM content needs to be labelled as such. I ask the member if he supports that position. That is the current federal position on that issue. That is the position that Food Standards Australia New Zealand has taken, and we need to look at that. I am happy to consider options that people put to me—a number of people are raising these issues with me—about what position Western Australia might take. A big part of this issue I think we need to be very careful about is the cost of compliance versus the community expectation of having good labelling so that it knows and understands what it is consuming.
Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: The present position on genetically modified food labelling is that there is a one per cent level of tolerance. Any food product with more than a one per cent GM content needs to be labelled as such. I ask the member if he supports that position. That is the current federal position on that issue. That is the position that Food Standards Australia New Zealand has taken, and we need to look at that. I am happy to consider options that people put to me—a number of people are raising these issues with me—about what position Western Australia might take. A big part of this issue I think we need to be very careful about is the cost of compliance versus the community expectation of having good labelling so that it knows and understands what it is consuming.
The present position on genetically modified food labelling is that there is a one per cent level of tolerance. Any food product with more than a one per cent GM content needs to be labelled as such. I ask the member if he supports that position. That is the current federal position on that issue. That is the position that Food Standards Australia New Zealand has taken, and we need to look at that. I am happy to consider options that people put to me—a number of people are raising these issues with me—about what position Western Australia might take. A big part of this issue I think we need to be very careful about is the cost of compliance versus the community expectation of having good labelling so that it knows and understands what it is consuming.
A big part of this issue I think we need to be very careful about is the cost of compliance versus the community expectation of having good labelling so that it knows and understands what it is consuming.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I have given the member an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. I do not think he asked everybody in the house for their opinion. I think he asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food. The minister has the call. Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: The present position on genetically modified food labelling is that there is a one per cent level of tolerance. Any food product with more than a one per cent GM content needs to be labelled as such. I ask the member if he supports that position. That is the current federal position on that issue. That is the position that Food Standards Australia New Zealand has taken, and we need to look at that. I am happy to consider options that people put to me—a number of people are raising these issues with me—about what position Western Australia might take. A big part of this issue I think we need to be very careful about is the cost of compliance versus the community expectation of having good labelling so that it knows and understands what it is consuming.
The SPEAKER : I have given the member an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. I do not think he asked everybody in the house for their opinion. I think he asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food. The minister has the call. Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: The present position on genetically modified food labelling is that there is a one per cent level of tolerance. Any food product with more than a one per cent GM content needs to be labelled as such. I ask the member if he supports that position. That is the current federal position on that issue. That is the position that Food Standards Australia New Zealand has taken, and we need to look at that. I am happy to consider options that people put to me—a number of people are raising these issues with me—about what position Western Australia might take. A big part of this issue I think we need to be very careful about is the cost of compliance versus the community expectation of having good labelling so that it knows and understands what it is consuming.
Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: The present position on genetically modified food labelling is that there is a one per cent level of tolerance. Any food product with more than a one per cent GM content needs to be labelled as such. I ask the member if he supports that position. That is the current federal position on that issue. That is the position that Food Standards Australia New Zealand has taken, and we need to look at that. I am happy to consider options that people put to me—a number of people are raising these issues with me—about what position Western Australia might take. A big part of this issue I think we need to be very careful about is the cost of compliance versus the community expectation of having good labelling so that it knows and understands what it is consuming.
The present position on genetically modified food labelling is that there is a one per cent level of tolerance. Any food product with more than a one per cent GM content needs to be labelled as such. I ask the member if he supports that position. That is the current federal position on that issue. That is the position that Food Standards Australia New Zealand has taken, and we need to look at that. I am happy to consider options that people put to me—a number of people are raising these issues with me—about what position Western Australia might take. A big part of this issue I think we need to be very careful about is the cost of compliance versus the community expectation of having good labelling so that it knows and understands what it is consuming.
A big part of this issue I think we need to be very careful about is the cost of compliance versus the community expectation of having good labelling so that it knows and understands what it is consuming.
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