Organic2020 Has High Level Of Support
Posted 28th February 2001

>From Ian Ewen-Street, Green List MP A new survey proves organics has a perfect fit for New Zealanders. The Consumer Link survey found that 63 per cent of New Zealanders want an organic future in 20 years time. Twenty-eight per cent want New Zealand to be "100 per cent Organic" and 34 per cent want New Zealand to be "mainly" producing organic foods. Only three per cent want New Zealand to be mainly or 100 per cent producing GM foods. Disappointing was the survey's finding that the vast majority of New Zealanders are not aware of the Royal Commission into Genetic Modification. Only eight per cent of New Zealanders are aware of the commission.

But this low level of interest may be because Kiwis are so clear about where they stand on GM that they don't want to hear about it. They don't want to debate it - they've already rejected it. Organics goes hand in hand with the rejection of genetic modification, because as overseas experience shows, contamination of organic crops from nearby GM farms is unavoidable. Nevertheless whatever the findings of the Royal Commission, New Zealanders have already rejected genetic modification in favour of organics and its time for the Government to reflect the public attitude by reducing funding for GM research, increasing funding for organic research and actively promoting farmers wishing to convert from chemical dependence to organics. Last year a survey commissioned by the meat company Affco New Zealand found that 70 per cent of farmers, 78 per cent of city dwellers and 71 per cent of rural people believed the future of New Zealand agriculture lay in organics.