Greens fear NZ 'a soft touch' on GM

The Green Party fears New Zealand is a "soft touch" for developers of genetically modified (GM) foods after European concerns about GM corn safety.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) yesterday refused to withdraw approval for Monsanto's high-lysine LY038 corn.

The corn, which has been in development as feed for animals, was approved for human consumption in New Zealand in December 2007.

Monsanto has withdrawn an application for its approval in Europe after several nations questioned its safety and testing.

However, the international seed company says the retraction is purely commercial.

Green Party food safety spokeswoman Sue Kedgley demanded FSANZ immediately withdraw approval for the corn as being safe for New Zealanders to eat if it got into the food supply.

"While our regulators put corporate interests ahead of food safety, Europe put the health and safety of consumers ahead of Monsanto's lobbying.

"It's time our regulators took a safety-first, precautionary approach to assessing new foods, especially when assessing new, genetically engineered foods."

FSANZ spokeswoman Lydia Buchtmann said there would be no change.

"We won't withdraw approval, as there are no safety concerns.

"We understand that Monsanto withdrew its European application because of commercial concerns that this product wasn't going to be grown commercially."

Kedgley told The Press the denial was "astonishing".

"Recognised scientists and experts in both New Zealand and Europe have pointed out that there are serious food safety concerns.

"Serious food safety regulators in Europe have refused to approve the corn and called for more safety testing as a result.

"Yet still FSANZ says there are none."

The issue raised "huge questions about why we approve things way before they are on the market".

"I'm wondering whether New Zealand and Australia have become a rubber-stamping process for companies like Monsanto to get easy approval.

"Do we constitute a soft touch?"

Once they had approval here, it gave the company a track record in its efforts to get approval elsewhere, she said.

"It is deplorable that our food safety regulators approved a food as safe when they hadn't conducted a full set of tests or tested the corn when it was cooked and processed. Instead of ignoring the food safety risks, the European Union has acknowledged them, and is demanding further safety testing."

Maltese authorities said the corn could not be assumed to be safe, while the Directorate for Nature Management in Norway said there was not enough evidence to say it would be of any benefit.

The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety in Germany said Monsanto's information was insufficient to "establish food and feed safety of the genetically modified plant and derived products".

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