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 In her enthusiasm to deregulate gene-edited (GE) organisms, Judith Collins appears to have lost sight of those people whose livelihoods are under threat from the deregulated gene-edited (GE) product of new breeding techniques (NBTs), also known as new genomic techniques (NGTs).
Minister Collins bemoans the NZ GE scientists who moved overseas to conduct their research. However, what she doesn’t mention is that these scientists lost their jobs at Crown Research Institutes (CRI), because of a lack of funding. In addition, the past history of failed GE field trials due to negligence, poor results or animal suffering and cruelty, has been conveniently forgotten.
“There are lessons to be learned from the failure of past and existing field trials that support precaution and not deregulation of GE,” said Claire Bleakley, president of GE Free NZ.
“It is dangerously shortsighted to assume that GE organisms are the same as conventionally bred ones and to base their deregulation on this false claim.”
Large Biotech companies like LanzaTech and Vioionyxs did not leave New Zealand, because of field trials restrictions, but rather because their investment money came from the US. Their decisions were taken for “business and strategic reasons” that were closer to commercial investors of their target market.
“Scientists leaving New Zealand for any number of reasons should never be a reason for our government to deregulate any type of GM food, including NBTs,” said Dr Elvira Dommisse, a former Crop & Food GM researcher.
Minister Collins is being deliberately misleading when she says that there is a moratorium on GE field testing outside the laboratory. New Zealand legislation under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act, has never banned field trials, but has required evidence of safety to the environment, peoples’ health and to their livelihoods.
The drive for patents and intellectual property (IP) threatens to increase costs to farmers, public health and the environment. To gain a patent, GE products must have an industrial purpose. Seed will become rented property, and farmers will not be able to save their own seed.
Applications of GE in deregulated markets, like the USA, have not been developed for environmental and public health. They only benefit the industry.
GE contamination in the field or in products for export means a loss of income. Contamination of farmers’ fields could result in farmers being fined large sums of money by the polluting patent holder. This has already happened in Canada and the US.
The removal of the GE crop regulations from the Resource Management Act (RMA) is a direct infringement on New Zealand's non-GMO exports and on the voice of communities. Non-GMO food has a history of safe use. International demand is growing for such non-GMO crops at a rate of 12% per year in our major export markets.
“Why undermine our export success by enabling GE tinkering with added patent costs, excessive herbicide/pesticide use that leads to weed and insect resistance, and production of GE food that most consumers in our target markets really don't want,” said Bleakley.
“There is no history of safe use of GE products, which have never undergone comprehensive feeding trials to show safety. Rather, regulatory authorities have turned a blind eye with a 'don't look, don't find' approach to GE food.”
Deregulation exposes farmers, exporters, consumers and the environment to a new scale of "socialised risk" that is not acceptable. 'Polluter pays' and mandatory liability for commercial users of GE are fundamental to moderate the risk-taking appetite of the biotech industry. Industry, not farmers, consumers and the environment must bear the costs of harm caused by unsafe, unlabelled NBTs,
"The coalition government should be supporting the economic advantage to New Zealand of non-GE production. They should not be using consumers as guinea pigs, but protecting people and the environment.
References
[1] https://www.farmersweekly.co.nz/technology/dont-more-too-fast-on-ge-grower-warns/
[2] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/mutant-cows-die-in-gm-trial/UNAM73ED3VXZJFX7MXU7VYAZ74/#google_vignette
[3] https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1996/0030/latest/DLM381222.html
[4] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/nz-biotech-company-shifting-work-to-us/QTYVAOOK3JCCLOVPLKAQH2VO7Y/
[5] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/money-trail-paving-virionyxs-route-to-the-us/BFH3MFIOLJE7S5IPAWUQRTQY2Y/#google_vignette
[6] https://www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/rural-news/rural-general-news/farmer-slams-gm-review-as-going-too-far-too-fast
Ends:
Claire Bleakley- President GE Free NZ – 027 348 6731
Elvira Dommisse - former Crop & Food GM researcher 021 0575 123
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