Greenpeace has claimed public pressure has caused GrainCorp to backflip over an increase in sites receiving GM, but GrainCorp has said nothing has changed regarding its segregations.

Greenpeace GM campaigner Louise Sales said public pressure had forced GrainCorp to scale down the number of sites receiving GM canola.

“This backflip by GrainCorp demonstrates the strength of opposition among the food industry and farmers to the introduction of GM canola,” she said.

However, GrainCorp corporate affairs manager David Ginns accused Greenpeace of misrepresenting GrainCorp’s stance, both in terms of the number of sites taking GM canola and the segregations offered, and with proposed costs for certifying a crop as non-GM.

“Greenpeace have totally fabricated what they have said in public,” Mr Ginns said.

“GrainCorp has never done anything other than offer the segregation standards offered by the Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF).

“I can say that there has been no change in the GrainCorp position on GM receivals this year, other than that there will be significantly more sites in Victoria and NSW receiving Roundup Ready GM canola.”

Greenpeace announced last week that GrainCorp had been forced to reverse plans to mix conventional and GM canola. However, Mr Ginns said the company would be sticking with its plan to have both CS01, including GM, and CS01A, non-GM, canola segregations.

Ms Sales said the message was coming through loud and clear from farmers, end-users and consumers alike.

“What is happening at the moment is really showing the strength of demand for non-GM products," she claimed.

“We have been hearing that the food industry won’t be buying from the GM silos, the major oil crushers have said they want non-GM derived products.”

Those in favour of GM canola have said there will be no loss of markets through growing GM, as the oil extracted from GM canola does not contain any GM material.