Posted 12th September 2001

GE Free Govt
By NICK VENTER

The New Zealand Government looks likely to dash scientists' hopes when it responds to the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification. The $6.5 million commission, chaired by retired chief justice Sir Thomas Eichelbaum, advised the Government in July that genetically modified crops could co-exist alongside organic and conventional production.

At the time, Prime Minister Helen Clark described the recommendations as "thorough, balanced and measured". But she is now signalling that her Government will not agree to either the commercial or "conditional" release of genetically modified crops or animals. Conditional release is an interim step proposed by the commission. It would have allowed authorities to approve commercial production under strict conditions. "The overall image of New Zealand as a place that you buy food from is important," Miss Clark said. "We can't do anything that compromises that reputation. That will have a major impact on the decision we make."

As a final safeguard, the commission advised the Government itself to rule on the first application to produce genetically modified crops for sale. But the Government is leaning toward imposing a moratorium on the commercial release of genetically modified crops and animals while it waits to see how world opinion develops on genetically modified produce. If it does so, some New Zealand scientists will head overseas, Life Sciences Network chairman William Rolleston says. The royal commission had proposed a robust process that took into account all the interests that existed in the community and all options, he said. "A moratorium would effectively say that we are not going to preserve a particular option. It would be inappropriate to say to the rest of the world and particularly to our scientists that we are going to unilaterally block new developments which may have absolutely no impact on the environment at all. It's a question of sending a message to the science community internationally about whether or not we are serious about building a knowledge economy."

Miss Clark said the Government wanted to keep New Zealand's options open. A "significant minority" of existing publicly funded research was genetic, but the logical outcome of that was not necessarily the production of genetically modified crops or animals for sale. NOTE: For a VHS copy of the PTV programme `The Third Wave' about GE and NZ future, order here..