NZBio has waded into the debate over using new biotechnologies, including genetic modification, backing a call by Treasury secretary Gabriel Makhlouf for another look at New Zealand's attitude to risk.
In a speech at Fieldays last week on making informed decisions about natural resources, Makhlouf said when new technologies come along, both genetically modified and non-genetically modified, New Zealand's current system denies choice over whether the country should have them. "Meanwhile, our international competitors do have this option," he said.
Will Barker, chief executive of the biotech industry organisation NZBio, said the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act needs to be urgently revised so new organisms are covered by better-conceived legislation.
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"Attempts to interpret the current legislation have shown it to be highly restrictive, yet there are considerable benefits that new genetic technologies can offer New Zealanders," Barker said in a statement today.