Unfriendly words from both sides of the GE fence

By ELEANOR BLACK

Organic farmer Wayne Parsonson believes the GM decision represents a looming threat to his business and wholesome lifestyle.

Scientist Dr Daniel Cohen expects interruptions, obstacles and added expense for his pioneering genetics research.

Neither man is happy.

"I'm really disappointed," said Mr Parsonson. "I feel this is a moment when we could have had some visionary leadership.

"Helen Clark is walking a tightrope. Walking a tightrope is not being a clown, but it's still in the circus."

He is prepared to break the law to protect his interests, pulling up GM crops if field trials begin.

Dr Cohen is resigned after yesterday's announcement, saying: "It's been clear for the last couple of months that the Government was under considerable pressure."

His biggest concern is that the Environmental Risk Management Authority will impose even tighter controls on contained experiments, despite New Zealand's reputation for having the world's strictest standards for GM research.

"What it means is that any institution is going to have to think very carefully about putting in applications for field trials," said Dr Cohen, who works at the crown research institute HortResearch.

His own project, isolating the genes in apples and kiwifruit to determine their function, may have to be reworked.

Dr Cohen believes scientists will be driven to take their work overseas because getting a New Zealand field trial approved, through a public consultation process costing $40,000 to $50,000, will blow the budget and take too long.

"Many leading the opposition are organic producers who feel their patch is going to be affected by the introduction of [GM]."

Dr Cohen said a new report from the European Union suggested that biotech crops might be safer than regular foods because they are more closely scrutinised.

Summarising 81 studies conducted over 15 years at a cost of $US15 million ($36 million), the report found "[no] new risks to human health or the environment beyond the usual uncertainties of conventional plant breeding".

Mr Parsonson, owner of a 160ha organic farm near Kaitaia, is scornful of such research.

He worries that when his "organically grown children" are adults, they will have to eat fruit and vegetables contaminated by GM plants and will no longer live in a truly clean, green country.

The Government's two-year moratorium on the release of GM organisms is cold comfort.

"My vision for this country is one of an eco-nation. [GM] destroys the opportunity of having an eco-nation ... ecology is about interconnectedness.

"Everything has a consequence and these GM trials, if they go ahead, will have a consequence."

He believes there is a lack of money for research into organic production methods because all spare cash is funnelled into GM research. The higher market cost of organic produce would drop significantly if more people pursued organics as a career, he says.

Full text of the Prime Minister's statement on GE

nzherald.co.nz/ge

Report of the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification

GE lessons from Britain

GE links

GE glossary