Maryan Street
Environment Spokesperson
4 July 2013
Minister buying needless fight with local authorities
If Amy Adams is going to take the heavy handed option of legislating against local councils’ ability to restrict
genetically modified organisms in food production, she is buying an unnecessary fight, says Labour’s Environment
spokesperson, Maryan Street.
“The Minister would be better to work with councils and local authorities around the country to ensure that there is
either agreement that the national level legislation provides sufficient protection, or agreement on changes for
improved protection, specifically around the use of GMOs in the food chain.
“Following the 2001 Royal Commission into genetic modification the Labour Government put in a robust regime to prevent
genetically modified products getting into the New Zealand food system. This left open the prospect of local councils
imposing more stringent requirements on the release of genetically modified products. We supported that position then
and we support it now.
“While the existing regulatory regime deals with the safety of GMOs in the food chain, it doesn’t address the broader
issue of whether such a move is in the best interests of our food industry - by enhancing our 100% pure brand.
“This is not something which can or should be done on a territorial authority by territorial authority basis. Over the
last 10 years a consensus has begun to develop that certifying products as GE-free is good for the New Zealand food
industry and the economy. We don’t need genetic modification to produce high quality food. That is what we already do
supremely well.
“It is also true that increasingly, people are refusing to buy genetically modified food, so why would we want to
produce it? We should be using our GE-free status in food production to market ourselves to the world as a GE-free food
producer which consumers can trust.
“We must ensure that producers of food products can protect their GE-free branding and the market edge that gives us.
“Amy Adams should be working with regions such as Northland, Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and the Bay of Plenty which want to
protect their reputation for their quality produce, not threatening them with legal restraints.
“People are concerned about the food we produce and these local bodies are trying to do the right thing by their people
and their producers. The Minister should listen more closely to them instead of trying to run them over,” said Maryan
Street.
ENDS