GE Free New Zealand in Food & Environment, 28^th March 2006

NZ speaking with a forked tongue over Terminator

The decision at The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to fully support continuing a moratorium on Terminator Technology is to be congratulated.

But New Zealand's support for the consensus, given in a press release by the Minister for the Environment (below) is undermined by ongoing official denial that the de-facto moratorium on Terminator established in 2000 even exists.

'New Zealand's government must stop speaking with a forked tongue, and come out in support of the de facto moratorium", says Jon Carapiet from GE Free NZ in food and environment." If we do not support the moratorium we will be seen by the the world as deliberately undermining it."

A paper from the New Zealand government to the CBD meeting confirmed that the New Zealand delegation was pushing a “case by case” stand as a means to move to field trials of Terminator, casting doubt on whether New Zealand is keeping faith with the world community.

"New Zealand's stand shows just how weak policy- advice, ERMA and the HSNO legislation are in genuinely protecting tangata whenua, the environment, and reflecting New Zealander's shared community values," says Claire Bleakley. "In the developing world there are even fewer protections from commercialised Terminator technology and that is why the moratorium is so important."

Despite the clear threat from Terminator seeds to food security and sustainability, and the Minister for the Environment saying he refused to support genetic technologies which would disadvantage subsistence farmers, New Zealand delegates at the CBD meeting went right along to do just the opposite.

"What would happen to an economy if farmers and local seed companies we were no longer able to produce and save traditional seeds due to patents, contamination from GMO's or sterile seeds? Sovereignty over seed and food production would collapse," says Claire Bleakley.

"Terminator is a crime against humanity, and this government's covert support for it is a sad day for the people of this country."

ENDS:
Claire Bleakley (06) 3089842
Jon Carapiet 0210 507 681

References:
Thumbs down from NZ to 'suicide seeds" - NZPA, Dompost, Friday 24th March, A9
Latest Updates on COP8: http://www.banterminator.org/news_updates/cop8_latest_updates/english/

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