Biggest Losers In Gene Technology Bill: Farmers, Exporters, Consumers, Animals, Nature

Farmers, exporters, consumers and animals are the big losers in the proposed Gene Technology (GT) Bill which excludes from regulation a whole category of Gene Edited (GE) plants, animals and microorganisms.

The Bill is the wish-list of the Biotechnology Industry and undermines the securities of the public, Māori, consumers and food producers.

Most significantly, the Bill removes from regulation Gene Edited organisms that are considered similar to something that could emerge in nature or from older types of mutagenesis.

There will be no monitoring of changes to a gene pool or of impacts on Nature as use of unregulated organisms scales up.

The removal from regulation of these GE organisms means they will become untraceable through the food system.

"The exemptions in the Gene Technology Bill from any regulation creates a Wild West for the gene technology industry in New Zealand.,” said Jon Carapiet, spokesman for GE-Free NZ.

“Companies will not have to prove their Gene Edited organism has no unintentional changes and evidence of safety to people and the environment will not be required

“Farmers and consumers are among the big losers in the Gene Technology Bill. They will be denied the right to choose as the exempt GE products and seeds will not be labelled.”

Trust in the integrity of New Zealand’s food safety will be undermined by lack of traceability of GE organisms.

Retailers in the EU are strongly supporting the regulation of GE products that the New Zealand Bill exempts. This has implication for market access.

Surveys show traceability of GM and/or gene edited food products was a key concern for some stakeholders. There is a strong consumer demand in New Zealand’s export markets in Europe and US for tracing and labelling of Gene Edited products (called New Breeding /Precision Breeding /New Genomic Techniques).

The Bill also subjects New Zealand to accepting approvals of GE organisms made overseas, removing public consultation of organisms approved by other recognised authorities. This means that a GE crop or organism will be able to be imported and released into New Zealand.

Summarising the Gene Technology Bill

1. Gaslighting the Consumer Market

• The exclusion from regulation of organisms from GE is the ultimate gaslighting of the consumer. It ignores the global market demand and the economic advantage to exporters of Non-GMO, GE-Free food.

2. No Traceability, No Choice

• The GT Bill excludes traceability or labelling of GE. This denies the choice for farmers and exporters wanting Non-GMO conventional and organic products to market internationally.

3. No Public Consultation

• There will be no requirement for public consultation if GE plants or organisms have been approved by two recognised overseas authorities.

4. A License for Animal Cruelty

• The Bill has no ethical criteria for the protection against the cruelty and deformities suffered by animals from being modified through genetic engineering (GE) technologies.

5. No Regional GE-Free Zones

• There will be no allowance for GE-Free production zones such as those established in Hawkes Bay and Northland.
• The new RMA will take away any right of Councils to have local regulations to protect market exports as Non-GMO.

6. Emergency Mandatory Approval of GE Vaccines

• The Bill includes a specific clause for mandatory approval of GE medicines. The importance of maintaining standards for safety in clinical trials, even if there is a declared emergency, is a clear lesson from the Covid-19 response.

7. Limiting Whakapapa and Maori Advisory Board

• The Bill process has already removed the participation of the Public and Māori, as well as farmers and exporters. This exclusion is continued in the legislation.
• The Bill references indigenous species but makes no mention of the significance of whakapapa or its importance in legislation.
• The marginal role of the Māori Advisory Board is disrespectful of Te Tiriti and diminishes the interests of Māori (even from that of today, as MBIE states in their analysis of the Bill).

8. No Precautionary Principle

• The Bill was written to deliberately exclude the Precautionary Principle which protects nature and the environment from harm. However, there is references to the UN CBD which requires precaution from governments.
• MBIE says that they have not had time to properly assess the economic analysis or regulatory risks of the Bill.
• The NZEI report commissioned by OANZ found that a full economic assessment was urgent as there are indications of a potential loss of $10-$20 billion in export demand if GE is introduced.

We must preserve our point of difference for high quality food and produce by staying GE-Free.

References:

[1] https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U_E4gdKm8ijNhqMNqSjpCPwK2T6rGRp3/view

[2] https://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2024/0110/latest/whole.html#LMS1009927

[3] https://www.ohnegentechnik.org/en/for-businesses/businesses-for-freedom-of-choice-council-of-ministers

[4] https://www.enga.org/newsdetails/industry-open-letter-successfully-influenced-eu-parliaments-plenary-vote-on-meps/

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