GE cattle research gets approval

12.00 pm

The Environmental Risk Management Authority has given a stay of execution to six pregnant cows at Hamilton's AgResearch centre.

The cows, pregnant with genetically modified calves, faced death after the High Court ruled there had been deficiencies in the original ERMA approval.

But at noon today, ERMA announced it had reviewed the research again and would let it continue.

The cows, carrying calves implanted with the synthetic human protein myelin, believed to help multiple sclerosis sufferers, will calve next month.

AgResearch chief executive Keith Steele said the scientists were happy they could continue but had concerns about the time it had taken to win approval.

But opponents of the GE cows vowed to fight on.

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