Posted on 8-5-2003

NZ Govt Shafts Greens Over GE

The Green Party is angry the Government has so blatantly and deviously
referred the Bill governing GE release to a select committee with no Green
MPs, Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said today.

The Government is so embarrassed about the lack of any sound case for
releasing genetic engineering into the environment that they cant bear to
face up to a Green on the committee,Ms Fitzsimons said. They dont want
anyone putting up the scientific case for the alternative view. The New
Organisms and Other Matters Bill establishes a regulatory regime for GE
release once the October moratorium expires. It was last night referred to
Parliaments education and science committee for closer scrutiny.

This deceitfully closes the door on expertise from the Greens, on a Bill
that - lets face it - will have major impacts on our environment and our
claims as a nation to being clean and green,Ms Fitzsimons said. In her
speech to the House last night, Ms Fitzsimons pointed out key deficiencies
in the Bill. These include the Governments claim that the Bill implements
the Royal Commission report, when in fact it ignores numerous important
recommendations.

The reality is that no business case has been made for GE. The Government
hasn't solved the co-existence problem, that is, the fact that GE and
non-GE crops can only coexist if contamination is accepted. And the
liability arrangements for when GE goes wrong are entirely inadequate,Ms
Fitzsimons said. The Bill also allows for conditional release, which is a
sneaky way of approving release into the environment of GE organisms that
cant meet the stricter standards for general release. The Government has
admitted that the conditions imposed on conditional releaseswill sometimes
fail, and there wont be any liability for that failure,Ms Fitzsimons said.

This Bill represents another takeover of New Zealand by a few corporates
and individuals who want to get very rich at public expense. In the future,
we will look back on this Bill as treason, and the Government will be held
to account.