Rural women should show us their new information

Rural women should show us their new information on GE

“What new information has the Executive of Rural Women discovered which warrants the Government ignoring the Royal Commission on GM?” asked the Chairman of the Life Sciences Network today.

“New Zealand has been through an extended period of debate and dialogue, augmented by some very detailed scientific and economic inquiry. The outcome of all that information gathering has been a very robust decision by Government to proceed with the selective and careful adoption of GMOs and GM products to preserve our opportunities,” says Dr William Rolleston.

“It is time for the due process of the law to be completed. The moratorium on applications for commercial release expires at the end of October.

“This means that any developer who wants to go into commercial production of a genetically modified plant or animal will have to satisfy the independent regulator that their proposal is safe to proceed. Rural Women will be able to have their say in that process and to raise their new evidence.

“If the moratorium continued we wouldn’t even be able to decide to use those GMOs which might have therapeutic benefits or lead to better health outcomes in rural communities (through reduced use of pesticides and herbicides).

“It’s clear Rural Women have been used by anti-GM activists as a mouth piece for ideas that are against the interests of the rural community. New Zealand agriculture depends on the careful adoption of new technologies to give farmers the ability to compete in global markets,” concluded Dr Rolleston.

ENDS

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