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GM firms' wine industry attempt deflated (27/10/2006)

Note that the biotech brigade have been beaten back on GM yeast but NOT on the GM grape trials.

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South Africa: GM firms wine industry's attempt deflated
Independent Online, October 27 2006
http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=news&doc_id=13751&start=1&control=177&page_start=1&page_nr=101&pg=1

Genetically modified (GM) engineering in South Africa, which is being pushed hard by biotech companies wanting to penetrate the rest of the continent, was dealt a blow on Thursday when the Western Cape agricultural department's announced that it did not support the use of GM yeast in wines.

This comes after the national department of agriculture received an application for permission to sell GM yeast in South Africa.

The GM yeast is used in the production of wine. On Thursday the Western Cape department of agriculture said in a statement that if South African producers used GM products in their wine, the multi billion-rand industry would lose its export market.

Because of this, the department supported the SA Wine Council, which opposed the request to sell GM yeast locally for use in wines.

Said Agriculture MEC Cobus Dowry: "The wine industry is of paramount importance to the economic and social welfare of the Western Cape.

"Not only was the industry responsible for an estimated state income of R2,5-billion from local sales during 2005, it also contributes to the economy through foreign investments worth millions of rand.

"The industry is an important employer along its value chain."

Because of this, South Africa could not afford to lose its export markets by using GM products in wine.

But Dowry said his department was not opposed to genetic engineering and supported GM research through the Wine tech programmes, which were strictly controlled.

"The department will not support the introduction of GM organisms in the commercial production of wine until such time as it is clear that this practice is internationally accepted," Dowry said.

The local wine industry said last week that even if the government gave the nod to GM yeast, it would not touch it as all GM products were banned in wine for local or export consumption.

The GM ban was put in place by the IVO, the international viticulture organisation based in France that controls all wine sold on world markets.

Some wine producers said even if the IVO were to approve GM yeast in wines, they were unlikely to use it because of the enormous opposition to GM organisms from consumers and food companies.

In a separate application, the University of Stellenbosch has asked the department of agriculture for approval to conduct field trials of genetically modified grapes.

The grapes are to be made into GM wine, but will not be released commercially.

Environmental and consumer groups have lodged formal objections to the application for GM grapes.

They say the risk of environmental contamination from GM crops is too great, while a marker gene in the GM grapes is antibiotic-resistant.

The university hopes to develop GM grapes that are resistant to fungus.

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