Posted on 30-3-2002

NZ Government On Notice

Media comment from Jon Carapiet

The Labour/Alliance government is being warned by community-groups supporting a" GE-Free" food and environment that they will face massivevoter-rebellion at this years election if they pass a law allowingcommercial GE releases to be approved from next yearThe HSNO Amendment Bill is to be reported back to Parliament by the Financeand Expenditure select committee today. Amongst many contentious clausesthat put the environment at risk from Field trials and medical-use releaseof live GE vaccines, the government is also including a clause that allowsfull commercial releases of genetically engineered organisms to be approvedfrom October 2003. "We are putting the government on notice that theelectorate will rebel if they allow this plan to proceed", said JonCarapiet from GE-Free NZ (in Food and Environment). "The Royal Commissionsaid we should not ban the technology but must proceed cautiously,.. tomost New Zealanders that means ethical research and applications formedical use in containment. What itdoes not mean is full releases into ourenvironment next year."There is wide scale support to keep GE uses in containment for theforeseeable future and for New Zealand to develop a unique strategy forscience and technology that suits our clean green marketing image,community values and consumer choice. "The government must not give in tobiotech- corporate pressure to put in place a date for approvals of GEreleases to start next year. If they do, they must also expect voters willnotice that release date is just one year away from the likely date of theelection. The campaign to contain genetic engineering technology and applyit ethically is not going away. Labour will force the voting-public torebel at the polls if they pass this legislation."