23/7/2026 Has NZ First negotiated a safe Gene Technology Bill?
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23/7/2026 Has NZ First negotiated a safe Gene Technology Bill? |
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There are serious ethical, cultural, economic and societal issues that are not addressed in the Bill but nor does it reflect the failure of GE science projects to date. New Zealand has conducted 20 field trials of which only one field trial on GE Trees at SCION still exists and there is no data as to its safety. AgResearch has spent over $100 million of taxpayer money on GE animal and GE grass trials. All that the GE Animal science showed was animal suffering, pregnancy dangers, high abortion rates, deformities and chronic respiratory illness. The only saving grace is that the AgResearch Ruakura GE trial came to an end in 2025. [2] The GE Ryegrass cost New Zealand taxpayers $25 million for a 5 years trial in the US, and trials showed it isn't greener . The results found that it failed to grow in hot temperatures and died back under competition. A feeding trial was expected to be carried out on 30 cows for two weeks, however the failure of the grass meant that it had to be grown in spaced pots and low light glasshouses in Palmerston North. After 18 months the harvested, denatured grass was fed to 12 sheep for 11 days. The methane levels were no lower than existing solutions New Zealand has today. [3] The Gene Technology Bill favours a fast-track approach to release with little depth in assessment of the economic impact on New Zealand’s high-quality primary exports. The report by New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) found that there was the potential loss of up to $20 Billion in export demand. [4] There is also an opportunity cost of Billions of dollars of export growth to the non-GMO market globally, projected to be worth US$2.6 Trillion a year by 2032. [5] New research from Victoria University by Dr. Valentina Dinica also found that there was a strong industry bias in science communications to decision-makers and the public. The skew to industry narratives reduces independent science voices. There are examples of misinformation and industry underplaying the dangers of GE through the media. State University of New York college of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) Theresa Selfa conducted workshops in New Zealand as part of a global study looking at Gene Editing in Agriculture. "It raised many societal, policy and environmental issues, that the Gene Technology Bill totally misses" said Claire Bleakley, GE-free NZ president. "It is hard to see how the deeply flawed Gene Technology Bill can possibly justify a second reading in Parliament. It would be sinister to see it progress given it is fundamentally a bill written by the biotechnology industry to serve their own interests." References: [1] https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/07/22/nz-gene-tech-law-rewrite-has-a-gaping-ethics-gap/ [2] https://www.gefree.org.nz/press-releases-2019-2025/2102025-revealed-new-zealands-cruel-genetic-engineering-animal-field-trials-reach-an-end/ [3] https://newsroom.co.nz/2023/07/03/grass-isnt-greener-for-gm-trial-in-australia/ [4] https://www.oanz.org/new-blog/NZ%20exports%20risk%20multi-billion%20dollar%20hit%20if%20GMO%20rules%20deregulated [5] https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/non-gmo-food-market-106359 [6] https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/communication/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2026.1792631/full ENDS Jon Carapiet- spokesman - 0210507681 Claire Bleakley president – 027 348 6731 |
Ms. Baal from Newsroom has reported that the