PRESSURE is mounting on South Australia to overturn its ban on genetically modified canola after Western Australia this week joined NSW and Victoria in granting farmers the right to use the technology.

South Australian grain growers, Victorian Agriculture Minister Joe Helper and university experts have called on SA Premier Mike Rann to lift the ban.

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"It's inevitable that all mainland states will allow GM crops to be grown across Australia," Mr Helper said.

The calls follow Western Australia's Liberal Premier Colin Barnett announcing on Monday that he would lift the moratorium on GM crops imposed by the previous Labor Government.

WA is the nation's biggest grain growing state, producing more than half of Australia's 1.9 million-tonne canola crop this season.

The decision brings WA in line with the other major grain-growing states, NSW and Victoria, where growers have been able to grow GM canola commercially since 2008, Mr Barnett said.

South Australia is now the only mainland canola-producing state where it is still illegal to grow GM canola commercially.

Victorian Farmers Federation grains group spokesman Andrew Weidemann said state bans had held back the development of new canola varieties.

"We only have limited varieties at the moment and some are not suitable to different canola growing areas of Australia," he said.

Mr Weidemann said South Australia's strict ban, to be in place until 2019, restricted Victorian farmers' access to South Australian ports.

"There are issues surrounding the border and delivery into certain markets," he said.

Anti-GM campaigners have described the move as a "mad, bad decision" that would sacrifice Western Australia's competitive advantage.

West Australian farmer and spokeswoman for the Network of Concerned Farmers, Julie Newman, said it was misleading to claim the state's GM trials were a success.

She said West Australian bulk handler CBH Group had no long-term intention to segregate GM and non-GM varieties.

"The 2009 West Australian trials and the eastern states' experience proves that it is not possible (to segregate)," Ms Newman said.

Gene Ethics spokesman Bob Phelps called on West Australian MPs to vote "to disallow this mad, bad decision when it comes before the parliament for review".

"The market and feral weed impacts of herbicide-tolerant GM canola make rejecting the exemption the only sane decision," Mr Phelps said.

However, GM expert and Dean of the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Land and Food Resources Rick Roush described the decision as "a triumph of facts over misinformation".

Prof Roush said the pressure was on South Australia to allow its grain growers to farm GM canola.

"For South Australia to continue its ban on GM is contrary to the protection of the environment and is now well past silly," Mr Roush said.

"The ban continues to limit freedom of choice for South Australian growers, is costing canola growers millions of dollars, maintaining the use of more persistent herbicides and unnecessarily limits even the transport of GM canola across South Australia."

The University of Adelaide's Associate Professor in Weed Management, Chris Preston, said the decision by the West Australian Government would increase pressure on South Australia to allow choice for its growers.

"I don't see any canola market issues that should deny South Australian growers choice," Dr Preston said.

South Australian Farmers Federation grains spokesman Michael Schaefer said the Rann Government should overturn the ban and immediately allow commercial plantings of GM canola.

"Other states have done the trials, we don't need to," Mr Schaefer said.

He said GM canola was not a "magic bullet" but would help to manage weeds.

West Australian Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman said commercial trials in Western Australia last year demonstrated successful cultivation and segregation of GM canola.

The Weekly Times was unable to contact Mr Rann's office yesterday.

    TALK GM OVER BREAKFAST

    MONSANTO Australia chief Peter O'Keeffe will face the public next month for the first time since genetically modified canola was introduced in Victoria.

    Mr O'Keeffe will talk about GM technology at a Rural Press Club of Victoria breakfast meeting on February 18. For bookings phone (03) 9696 5899.