It might be the worst thing since sliced bread ...

This June, the government's gene regulator approved trials of up to 1,322 different types of GE wheat.  The trials are set to take place over the next five years in Corrigin, WA; Narrabri, NSW; Adelaide, SA; and just outside of Brisbane, Queensland.

Wheat genes have been altered by the insertion of various types of bacteria and viruses, including e.coli viruses and synthetic genes, which create proteins not found in nature.

Trials of GE wheat present threats to safe Australian food and agriculture.  The average Australian eats around 70 kilograms of wheat per year in common products like bread, pasta, biscuits and breakfast cereal.  Contamination by GE wheat could prevent consumers in Australia from accessing safe, reliable, basic foods we eat every day. 

Wheat plays an enormously important role in the Australian economy.  It is our second most valuable agricultural product, bringing in  $5 billion each year through domestic consumption and export trade. Polluting our wheat with GE s a huge financial risks. Wheat is the staple food of almost half the world's population and Australia is the 4th largest exporter of wheat globally.  Given that consumers in many export markets reject GE, Australian farmers may lose access to those markets if our wheat fields are polluted.

Watch out for more updates from Greenpeace about how you can help us to keep the GE out of our vegemite on toast.