I AM writing regarding the letter from Gill Rosier in the Bendigo Advertiser October 7, as much of Gill's logic is hard to follow.

For one, Gill attacks the government for not being neutral enough for her. In actual fact, there happens to be many people who believe in the technology and therefore don't think it's a good idea to be neutral.

Just ask the people suffering from diabetes who rely on their recombinant insulin to live.

By way of reflection, Gill's letter is in no way neutral - it is rabidly against the technology.

And how, by any stretch of the imagination, does Gill arrive at the conclusion that those who work with, use and rely on the technology have been unethical? We had a voluntary scheme from 1971 to 2001, which in fact made us more ethical because everyone involved in gene technology during this time actually adhered to voluntary constraints which were not imposed by law, constraints which were subsequently adopted as law. It is easy to knock things, but not so easy to provide solutions.

If the anti-GM campaigners have solutions to the global problems which mankind and our planet face, then let's hear them.

If we can't secure patents for our research efforts, where will the next new discovery come from? Will people like Gill compensate the industry and the many researchers and students if we fall behind? Will Gill compensate farmers if Australia's Agricultural Industry is decimated because they cannot compete against those international farmers who do have the technology? Gill is right about one thing, namely, biotechnology companies are not making money.

This is because of the huge start-up costs involved in research.

If people like Gill have their way these companies would never see the light of day and lost with them would be beneficial products which are the future of a globally competitive Australian Agricultural Industry.

Gill and her anti-GM followers must realise that if they do not want open-ended forums, which have already been held on many occasions, then they just want forums which agree with an anti-GM stance.

Is this the democracy we all fight for? DR ANTHONY COULEPIS executive director AusBiotech - Australia's Biotechnology Organisation