Select committe rejects British MP's anti-GE comments

A select committee appearance by former British Environment Minister Michael Meacher came to an abrupt end at Parliament yesterday, when committee chairman Brian Donnelly labelled it a political stunt.

Mr Meacher was giving evidence on behalf of Greenpeace to the education and science committee, which is considering the New Organisms and Other Matters Bill.

After being warned by Mr Donnelly (NZ First) to confine himself to the legislation, the British MP strayed into banned territory.

He was pulled up after saying he was "astonished" at the risk New Zealand was about to take with the release of genetically modified organisms.

Mr Donnelly stepped in.

"We have been hoodwinked in this particular case and I am not prepared to go on with this," he said.

Mr Donnelly appeared ready to close Mr Meacher down more quickly, until persuaded by Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons and Labour MP Helen Duncan to allow him to continue.

Even after his patience ran out, he permitted Mr Meacher to answer several questions from National MP Paul Hutchinson.

As Mr Meacher rose to leave Mr Donnelly apologised, saying he would be prepared to talk to him outside the committee.

Although he was not a member of the Government, or an apologist for its legislation, Mr Donnelly said he had to defend the role of the select committee as an agent of Parliament.

Mr Meacher was dumped by British Prime Minister Tony Blair in June after publicly questioning GM crops.

Outside the committee room, Mr Meacher said he was "surprised" the committee was not interested in the British experience.

He had been in politics for too long to be angry or hurt by his reception, he said.

"I was very surprised at being told it was a political gimmick."

What he was saying was connected with a clause in the New Organisms and Other Matters Bill under consideration by the committee, he said.

In Auckland on Tuesday he said New Zealand could not hope to grow both conventional and genetically modified crops in the same country.

He had just visited Canada to oppose releasing genetically modified wheat there, and said the Canadian experience showed that "co-existence" of GM and non-GM crops was impossible.

Mr Meacher said GM canola seed, the main GM crop in Canada, had spread so widely that Canada's organic canola industry had been destroyed.

"That was in the prairies where there is a vast amount of space," he said.

"For small countries like Britain and New Zealand where the farms abut each other cheek by jowl, I think co-existence is not possible."

He said there had still been no independent studies of the effect of GM food on human health in North America, where GM crops had been widely planted.

But food allergies were increasing in North America and Britain.

The US Centre for Disease Control said food-derived illnesses had doubled in the past seven years.

In Britain, the only major study, commissioned by the Food Standards Agency, had found that DNA from genetically modified soya meal did transfer to bacteria in the human gut.

Mr Meacher said he was not opposed to GM techniques to develop medicines, which were subject to years of testing before getting approval.

His visit is sponsored by Greenpeace.

- NZPA, STAFF REPORTER