New Zealand farmers are being kept in the dark about traditionally bred non GE crops in commercial production that are proven to reduce methane emissions, are pest resistant, drought, salt and flood tolerant. Instead New Zealand farmers are being asked to wait decades for a GE magic bullet. Crop innovations are being ignored and sidelined with promises of a magic-bullet GE crop.

MAF has allowed Kate Valley Landfill to become New Zealand’s next GE contaminated site, while dodging testing for GE contamination of more rogue brassica plants at Plant & Food Research’s Lincoln GE brassica field trial site, although MAF’s own rules demanded testing, according to the Soil & Health Association of NZ, and GE Free NZ in food and environment. [...] ”In spring 2010 Plant & Food Research and MAF agreed to dig out soil likely to be contaminated with GE brassica seed and deep bury it, but ten days ago we have found that another brassica has still emerged,” said Soil & Health-Organic NZ spokesperson Steffan Browning.

Governments phasing out of the winning 100% Pure New Zealand brand, while putting genetic engineering zealot Dr William Rolleston as Chair of Innovation and also on the Science board of the new Ministry Of Science and Innovation, is a clear sign that New Zealand’s science and production is further headed down a GE track, rather than the clean green 100% Pure New Zealand trail [...] Terri Dunahay, a US Department of Agriculture international GE policy specialist, over several months, was promoting genetic engineering for New Zealand agriculture, while given a Fulbright Scholarship seat in New Zealand’s science policy agency, the Ministry of Research Science and Technology.

Genetically engineering varroa (Varroa destructor) mites to self destruct is no Christmas present for New Zealand’s beekeepers, according to Soil & Health Association of NZ. “Any future for New Zealand does not include genetically engineered mites being carried around New Zealand on the back of honey bees, any more than a real Santa Claus with reindeer,” said Soil & Health – Organic NZ spokesperson Steffan Browning.

The High Court in Wellington has reserved its decision in the latest appeal by GE Free New Zealand [...] challenging ERMA's decision to allow AgResearch to broaden its genetically modified animal research. [...] The Supreme Court ruled that an application to create genetically modified organisms cannot be challenged at such an early stage, except in the rarest of cases.

The Environmental Risk Management Authority has approved, with controls, an application from the Crown research institute Scion to field test genetically modified pine trees in containment at its Rotorua campus. The approval allows Scion to continue its research programme investigating the introduction of new traits with commercial potential for Radiata pine trees. The Authority has imposed strict controls on the approval, including requiring no heritable material (pollen or seed) to escape from the containment site.

The Key Government must resist attempts by the United States to abolish mandatory labelling of genetically engineered food in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, Green Party Co-Leader Dr Russel Norman said today. The United States Government’s 2010 report on Technical Barriers to Trade explicitly identified New Zealand as a country with mandatory GE labelling rules that they would like to abolish.

“The current High Court hearing beginning at 10am Wednesday 24 November is another appeal by GE Free NZ against the ERMA decision to allow sheep, goats and cows to be genetically engineered by AgResearch in potentially hundreds of thousands of combinations from a vast list of potential proteins and genes,” said Soil & Health-Organic NZ spokesperson Steffan Browning.

“ERMA will grant the GE trees application regardless of the submissions because it is under government and United States pressure to do so,” said Soil & Health - Organic NZ spokesperson Steffan Browning. Government has put $10.8 million science funding into the project and with pro-GE forestry interests actively lobby’s Forest Stewardship Council and international forums such as the Convention of Biological Diversity and the World Trade Organisation along with the USA, for acceptance of GE forestry.

Hastings grower John Bostock said many people thought contamination was only an issue for organic growers, but conventional farmers could suffer too and the risk went up as GM crops were grown outside. ”This is not an issue councils or food producers can afford to ignore,” he said. ”It is a critical issue to get right if we are to protect the many food producers that sustain the region’s prosperity.”