MEDIA RELEASE
THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2019
EPA declines application to import fungus
The Environmental Protection Authority has declined an application to import and release a fungus intended to improve
crop growth due to a potential for adverse environmental effects.
The application to import and release the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus iranicum var. tenuihypharum was made by
Symborg Business Development S.L..
Symborg sought to commercialise mycorrhizal inoculum products in New Zealand by providing new options to improve crop
development and growth.
Submissions on the application were called for and a public hearing held before the Decision-making Committee in
Wellington on 10 May 2019.
In the absence of any evidence showing where the introduction of this organism had led to lower fertiliser use, the
committee could not conclude the fungus would generate benefits to the economy or the environment.
Potential adverse effects on the environment included displacement of native species, dispersion beyond the intended
application areas, and assistance of establishment and dispersal of exotic species and invasive weeds.
The decision was notified on 20 June 2019.
You can read the presentations made to the Committee by the applicant, submitters, and us, and all documents relating to
the application in our database.