A NEW trial of genetically modified pasture in Western Victoria has been criticised by an anti-GM lobby group.

The Victorian Government announced yesterday that Australia's first trial of GM pastures would be conducted at the Department of Primary Industries site in Hamilton.

However, anti-GM campaigners GeneEthics said the GM pasture grasses were a waste of scarce public resources.

Spokesman Bob Phelps said the funds and scientific effort were needed right now to develop and deploy ecological systems that could drought proof, desalinate and restore soil fertility on farms.

"The 'bright idea' of more digestible GM grass would make farmers more reliant on increasingly expensive and scarce stocks of oil, synthetic fertilisers and chemicals," Mr Phelps said.

"We need new systems not gee-whizz plants, to get off the chemical treadmill."

The Federal Gene Technology Regulator has granted a licence to plant up to 500 lines of GM pasture varieties at the Department of Primary Industries site in Hamilton.

Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings said the pastures had a reduced non-digestible content which could mean farmers would be able to reduce the amount of feed they required for stock.

"This would be a critical breakthough for dairy, beef and sheep industries which have less pasture available for stock because of climate change and the prolonged drought," Mr Jennings said.

Mr Phelps said more digestible GM grass was still at the preliminary stage and it would take at least a decade to commercialise and the probability of success was very low.

"The GM grass will not be fed to animals so, like CSIRO's weevil resistant field pea research it may prove to be toxic to animals in ten years time, after hundreds of millions are wasted," Mr Phelps said.

Mr Phelps said in 1996 the GM industry commercialised four GM crops - soy, corn, canola and cotton - with the herbicide tolerance and insect toxin traits.

"In 2008, GM still has no new products," he said.

"GM is a stalled and failed technology."

Agriculture Minister Joe Helper said the trials would focus on pastures based on perennial ryegrass and tall fescue, developed by Victorian scientists.

"The trials are for proof-of-concept research and not for commercial release," Mr Helper said.

"But this research may give famers access to new pasture plant genetics with improved quality and energy content for livestock production."

DPI Biosciences Research Division executive director Professor German Spangenberg said the new technologies allowed for a targeted modification of lingin and fructan production in perennial ryegrass and tall fescue.

He said lignin provided the water proofing fibrous parts of pasture that could not be easily digested by livestock.

"Fructan are soluable carbohydrates that provide a readily available energy source to livestock," Prof Spangenberg said.

"By modifying lignification and enhancing fructan production in these plants, the herbage nutritive value is increased and stock can gain more energy from less pasture."

He said the GM grasses would not be used for animal feed.