Deaf ear on GE feared

Campaigners lobbying against genetically-engineered (GE) crops fear formal protests to a government agency will fall on deaf ears.

The Environmental Risk Management Authority (Erma) announced yesterday that it would hear submissions in Christchurch in August or September on Crop and Food Research's application for field trials of GE vegetables to flowering.

Previous field trials have been halted before the crop seeds.

Soil and Health Association spokesman Steffan Browning said there was a feeling among anti-GE campaigners that the trials would be approved irrespective of the number and strength of submissions against them.

"Why put people through the angst and hassle (of making a submission)?" he said. "They're better off going in and pulling the crops out."

Crop and Food says the research will build on the success of an existing programme involving herbicide-tolerant onions which has been under way near Lincoln for four years. If Erma approves the trial, Crop and Food will plant GE onions, spring onions, garlic and leeks over 2.5 hectares for 10 years.

The research programme will allow a small number of onion plants in the field to flower and set seed within special cages made of a double layer of insect-proof mesh.

Erma general manager of new organisms Libby Harrison said the organisation received 123 submissions compared to almost 1933 for a previous GE onion field trial application in 2003.

Biotechnologist and former Crop and Food scientist Elvira Dommisse said the number of submissions was not an accurate measure of public sentiment against GE foods.

"The application was poorly publicised and I'm critical of the Erma process," she said. "There has been no proof of runaway success with these kinds of trials anywhere else in the world and the Government just wants to keep all their options open.

"They don't seem to realise that they can't have both clean, green New Zealand and genetically modified food".

- © Fairfax NZ News