No. And I’m not alone.
I asked this question in my wine column in The Weekend Australian Magazine recently, and invited readers to send me their answer. Over 90 per cent were totally against GMOs - in wine, and food in general. As one Queensland farmer succinctly put it: ‘I think GMOs are a crock of shit’.
‘Sometimes, as with tobacco, it takes many years before the ill effects are felt,’ said another reader. ‘Do we really know whether or not GM wine will also result in problems for us?’
Professor Joe Cummins and Dr Mae-Wan Ho at the Institute for Science in Society (www.i-sis.org.uk) believe it could, and have outlined the potential hazards associated with using GMOs in wine production. These hazards include: the possible transfer of genes from GM grapes and yeast to other organisms, producing unexpected toxins and allergens; and the likelihood of airborne or waterborne GM yeast cells contaminating neighbouring vineyards and wineries, compromising any claims other growers and winemakers might want to make about being GM-free.
Hold on. Aren’t you being a bit alarmist? Isn’t the Australian wine industry GM-free?
It is. For now. And it’s true that GM vines are, so far, only planted in scientific field trials in a number of countries, including Australia, but GM yeast is in commercial use in wineries in the US. And while the Winemakers Federation of Australia (WFA)’s publicly stated position is ‘that no genetically modified organisms be used in the production of Australian wine’, this ‘official’ opposition to GM seems to be based less on deep ethical, environmental or health concerns and more on a view that the consumer isn’t ready to accept the use of GMOs in winemaking - yet. Hence the ongoing genetic research on vines and yeasts currently being undertaken by bodies such as the CSIRO and the Australian Wine Research Institute.
Do you think the wine industry is actually quite keen to adopt GMOs, then?
Many smaller producers - and almost all organic and biodynamic grape growers and winemakers - are totally opposed. Tony Scherer of Frogmore Creek Vineyard in Tasmania speaks for many when he says: ‘It is difficult for me to comprehend how anyone in the wine industry could not understand the consequences of adapting this technology. The continued industrialization of our food and beverage system will only decrease the public’s interest in fine food and wine. It is in my view a very dangerous thing to be fooling around with. The best thing that we could do is to enhance the culture of natural production and minimize the industrialization of the whole process.’
But many producers at the large-scale end of the industry have a more ambivalent attitude. I asked our top ten wine companies - who, between them, produce more than 75 per cent of the country’s wine - whether they were concerned about GMOs, or whether they would welcome the opportunity to use the technology. This is what they said:
Stuart McNab, Director of Wine Production Asia Pacific, Fosters: ‘(Our) Guidelines for Grape Supply 2007/2008, which is distributed to all of our growers, state that no genetically modified organisms or products derived from GMOs can be used in the production of wine grapes for our products. Having said that, we are, like everyone, watching the developments in this space with interest ...’
Sheralee Davies, Group Public Relations Manager, Hardy Wine Company: ‘The Hardy Wine Company supports the WFA’s no-GMO position. But we’re also supportive in a research sense, and we’re looking forward to the benefits of GM research.’
Phil Laffer, Director of Viticulture and Winemaking, Orlando Wyndham: ‘We have the same policy with respect to the use of GMOs as the rest of the Australian industry. That is - that no GM material enter the entire production chain from vine to bottle. It is an issue we take very seriously. However, in common with all established wine producing countries, with respect to research, we support the use of GM technology as an extremely valuable research tool in understanding the physiology of vines and yeasts solely for developing, through natural techniques, improved plants and a greater choice of fermentation yeasts.’
Neil McGuigan, Production Manager, Australian Vintage (McGuigan Simeon): ‘At this stage (we do) not intend to use any GMO grape varieties, yeast or enzyme.’
John Casella, Managing Director, and Alan Kennett, Chief Winemaker, Casella Wines: ‘We believe that on a scientific level, this (genetic engineering) may benefit the quality of wine and the variety produced but we also have a strong belief that consumers who drink wine will not understand the GE process. They know and believe that wine is made from a natural product and there is no doubt that the negatives of GE will certainly outweigh the positives. Consumers find wine a mystery as it is, (and) adding GE to the equation will certainly baffle them.’
Katherine Ward, Communications Manager, McWilliam’s Wines: ‘It is McWilliam’s Wines position that the company’s total wine production, including vineyards and winemaking, is free of genetically-modified organisms. This position is based on our desire to protect the reputation and image of Australian wines both domestically and overseas, and is line with the position of the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia.’
John Angove, Angoves: ‘I believe there is great potential for GMOs to improve our lives. Gene modification in wine yeast to produce lower alcohol wines with the same full flavour (for example) should be a plus for winemakers. But we need to fully understand the ramifications of such meddling, and then be sure our consumers are supportive of the process.’
Ross Brown, CEO, Brown Brothers: ‘Brown Brothers has a zero tolerance on this issue. There is so much tradition associated with wine, and GM would fly in the face of that. Perception is so important. This could become a runaway train that neither the industry or Brown Brothers would want to be or should be involved with.’
Darren de Bortoli, Managing Director, De Bortoli: ‘We’re anti-GM, but that’s not to say our position might change in the future. Personally, I question the potential impact on biodiversity: I can’t see vines being manipulated to the same extent as grain, but it’s only a matter of time before there’s some form of cross contamination. That’s my personal view, but a more pragmatic view, I suppose, is that we’ll have to see how it evolves. It’s similar to the arguments about nuclear power: we all used to be completely against it, but now, with the threat of global warming, we see it perhaps as a necessary evil. Never say never.’
Robert Hill Smith, CEO, Yalumba: ‘I am concerned enough for my own peace of mind and for that of our customers ... I haven’t been shown the evidence (to) convince me that we have done enough research to make a categorical, confident statement that there are no potential problems. (So) Australian wine should remain GE-free, in line with existing industry policy, until both Australian winemakers and our wine consumers in all markets agree otherwise.’
Most consumers don’t support it, though, so surely the wine industry is unlikely to change its no-GM position?
True. The vast majority of consumers are anti-GM - but that didn’t stop the Victorian and NSW governments lifting their ban on genetically modified canola last November. At the time, Victoria’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Gustav Nossal, said it could result in the door being opened to other crops that could lay claim to being better for the environment. Fosters’ Stuart McNab has a similar view: ‘In the future there may be uses or breakthroughs with GMO technology that we as an industry cannot currently foresee. (And) as our grape growing environment changes - as a result of climate change and increasing salinity - we may need innovative ways to get around significant issues.’
Don’t environmental benefits such as adapting to climate change outweigh any possible risks?
They certainly make for a compelling argument - but the biotech industry doesn’t have a fabulous track record of fulfilling its green promises. According to a report published in February by the Friends of the Earth, since GM food crops were first released in the mid 90s, not one has been introduced that is drought or salt-tolerant. Instead, over 80 per cent of the world’s GM crops have been engineered to be herbicide resistant, and in the US, this has led to a 15-fold increase in herbicide - herbicide manufactured by the same biotech companies who sell the GM seeds. This doesn’t sound like ‘environmental benefit’ to me. It sounds like a con.
And besides, drought-tolerant grape varieties, for example, already exist that produce delicious wines with naturally moderate alcohol. And innovative viticultural techniques - many of them organic or biodynamic - can increase the vine’s water efficiency and natural resilience.
Ethical and environmental issues are becoming increasingly important for consumers, too, not less important, particularly in key markets like the UK. The Australian wine industry would be taking a huge risk by choosing to adopt GMOs. We just don’t need them. |
