Local organic growers said they were disgusted to get letters last week asking them to notify their neighbours of their certified organic status.

They were angry that the initially promised GM crop register had become an organic crop register — and even that was not compulsory. And there was no way for organic grower to discover if their neighbours were planting GM crops.

In March, Agriculture Minister Terry Redman made a concession and said he would establish a register of GM growers.

He was recorded in Hansard on March 10 as saying he wanted to ensure everyone knew where both organic and GM growers were. He proposed using Department of Agriculture and Food WA’s Geographical Information System (GIS) to map out growers’ locations.

South Perth MLA John McGrath (Liberal) said at the time the GIS would enable farmers to look at a map and see who was growing GM and who was growing organic products. “It is very important. GM growers should be prepared to provide their details when they decide to go down this path. There is nothing for them to hide so they should do that. That will allow much more confidence throughout the agricultural industry.”

But in the May 18 Donnybrook-Bridgetown Mail, Mr Redman declared that at no stage had he said the register would be compulsory.

Instead the department would write to all farmers who chose to grow GM canola this season, impressing on them the need to notify their neighbours they were using this technology.

It would also contact all known organic growers recommending they tell neighbours of their organic status.

The department would build the GIS’s capacity to more accurately reflect the location of farmers using GM technology, organic farmers and other sensitive land uses, and make the information publicly available on the department’s website.

“The department is working with the technology provider to provide a level of information that effectively informs the public about where and how much GM canola will be grown in WA this growing season, while respecting farmers’ rights to privacy,” he said.

Local organic farmers received a letter from the Department last week urging them to notify their neighbours of their certified organic status.

The letter said the department was updating its client resource information system to provide public information on the known numbers of organic, biodynamic and GM growers in each local government area.

Balingup organic farmer Wendy Wilkins said the letter suggested the department considered organic growers to be a problem to GM growers, not the other way around.

Nannup organic farmer Bee Winfield said she rang Terry Redman’s office to put her farm on a map. “I was told I didn’t have to be on the map,” she said.“I said I would like to know if GM canola was being grown in Nannup this year, how can I find out and he said you can’t.

“I said I thought the minister made a commitment to create a map that would show GM canola growers sensitive areas like organic farms. He responded the Privacy Act won’t allow it.”

Ms Winfield said she was told the minister had made a decision and was not going back on it. “The implication is there’s nothing we can do.”

Shadow Agriculture Minister Mick Murray said the department was putting the onus on organic growers. “It’s now up to organic people to contact their neighbours – it’s an absolute disaster,.”

The Barnett Government’s allocation of $3 million to build GM crop testing facilities suggested more GM crops were on their way to WA, Mr Murray said. The budget included $3million to build the facilities at Merredin and Katanning and a further $6.1million for its operations. “Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman claims these new facilities will be to `evaluate future GM crops in a controlled environment’. But once these crops are out, there is no controlled environment, contamination is guaranteed.

“When concerns were expressed and some Liberal politicians threatened to vote with Labor against GM canola in March this year, the minister promised a register of GM growers so non-GM farmers could keep their crops clean..Now the minister says that register will be voluntary, rendering it useless,” he said.