A Wellington think-tank wants the Government to formally opt out of a trans-Tasman food regulator’s decision to approve for human consumption a corn genetically engineered for use as stockfeed.

It would be ”prudent” for New Zealand to opt out of the decision by an Australian-based ministerial council to accept the LY038 corn as fit for humans, the Sustainability Council of NZ said today. ”New Zealand has the right to stand aside from food safety decisions adopted in Australia,” said the Sustainability Council’s executive director, Simon Terry.