5/06/2026 UK Court Decision on GMOs is a Red Alert for NZ Primary Industries
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5/06/2026 UK Court Decision on GMOs is a Red Alert for NZ Primary Industries |
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The Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Amendment Bill [1] will loosen up evaluation of genetically modified organisms and hazardous substances. The ambiguous drafting and lack of direction look to result in New Zealand having the same regulatory failure that the High Court has called out. The fast tracking of the HSNO Amendment Bill has the same discretionary permissive flaws as the UK's Precision Breeding Act where the Minister was given the wrong advice that was “unlawful.” "The HSNO Amendment Bill risks replicating the failures which the High Court has called out in the UK model," said Claire Bleakley, GE-free NZ president. This fast tracking and limited consultation with the omission of important HSNO regulations reflects the UK’s and EU’s legislative process, which overlooking the precautionary principle in order to follow industry pressure to adopt unsafe fast track GM policies. "This is a red alert for Fonterra, Zespri, Beef & Lamb and all exporters to oppose the HSNO amendments. They must stop System Failure allowing gene editing exemptions that lose tracing and labelling that consumers in our export markets demand," said Jon Carapiet, spokesman for GE-Free NZ and brand expert. New Zealand must not allow the same vested interests and biased process to destroy our primary sector. Advocacy group Beyond GM, the UK’s leading independent voice on genetic technologies in food, farming and environment challenged the UK push for GE deregulation in the High Court, and won. The UK government's Precision Breeding Bill was revealed to be compromised and rushed. It was justified to have concerns that the Regulatory framework for Precision Bred Organisms (PBOs) that include genetically engineered/modified organisms would undermine transparency, traceability and environmental protection. Beyond GM, spokesperson Ms. Pat Thomas stated "After years of claims that these Regulations were pioneering and rock-solid, the two-day hearing in the High Court and the subsequent Court judgment have exposed that much of the framework remains incomplete, effectively transitional and therefore subject to change. The government chose speed over rigour. It prioritised reducing burdens on biotech developers before investigating fully the consequences for everyone else. Today's judgment highlights the cost of those choices and makes clear that the concerns of the public, farmers, food businesses and organic sector are legitimate, deserve full consideration and should be reflected in the Regulations.” We congratulate Beyond GM on their successful challenge,” said Claire Bleakley. But as New Zealand fast tracks the HSNO Amendment legislation the same flaws and powers of industry are found in the Bill. Exemptions and re-definitions of New Breeding Techniques are not acceptable to the market and must not be forced by industry. “We ask that the NZ Primary Production Committee reflect urgently on the implications for New Zealand of the UK ruling and halt the HSNO Amendment Bill. "They must take action to ensure the public has full and democratic transparency and ability to know how the amendments will be interpreted in Regulations. The lesson from the UK regulatory failure is clear,” said Claire Bleakley References: [1] https://www.gefree.org.nz/action-templates/ [2] https://beyond-gm.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Beyond-GM-Approved-Judgment-04-06-2026.pdf ENDS: Jon Carapiet- spokesman - 0210507681 Claire Bleakley president – 027 348 6731 |
New amendments to New Zealand's regulation on GMOs put the primary sector at risk by making the same mistakes the High Court has identified in England.