Greens knock GE report 'delay'

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The Government is being accused of "deliberate foot-dragging" for taking more than six months to investigate two genetically engineered (GE) plants found growing near Christchurch.

Green groups say millions of dollars of exports and New Zealand's prized "100% Pure" could be threatened after any major GE breaches if it takes the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry-Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) six months to scrutinise just two weeds.

The GE cress was found on November 23 last year growing outside a containment glasshouse at Plant & Food Research's Lincoln facility.

The Press lodged an Official Information Act request for details of the investigation in March, but a decision on whether to prosecute the Crown research institute over the GE plants, Arabidopsis thaliana, commonly used for research, has still not been announced.

Plant & Food initially said a "third party" was responsible for the weeds but ruled out foul play or sabotage.

It is not clear who the possible culprit might be – Lincoln CRI AgResearch has said it used the facilities three years ago but did not grow GE cress.

A Government source told The Press there was "a high level of sensitivity around GM [genetic modification] issues" and this one would go right up the chain of command.

"We don't typically do a lot of GM issues. There's a heightened sensitivity among our masters about the way this is tracking.

"The conclusions will get reviewed by a higher authority in Wellington. Whether it's the minister, or the director-general of MAF or the head of Biosecurity [New Zealand], but it'll be at that level."

Green Party GE spokeswoman Sue Kedgley believed the delay was deliberate.

"If they needed to, I'm sure they'd give it priority, do it with the speed of light. Quite clearly they are obviously deliberate foot-dragging, hoping everyone will forget about it.

"It is not that they are incompetent – I think if they wanted it, they could have done it in a matter of weeks."

Repeated attempts to reach Agriculture Minister David Carter yesterday failed.

Asked if Plant & Food knew the outcome of the MAF investigation, spokesman Roger Bourne said last night: "I couldn't offer any comment".

Former agriculture and forestry minister and Opposition spokesman on agriculture, Jim Anderton, said he would call Biosecurity NZ today for answers.

"I am concerned as a former biosecurity minister about this delay.

"Six months seems to be an extraordinary amount of time to answer this.

"If these are GE-effective plants that is a serious enough issue to look at this with urgency – and urgency wouldn't be catered for with a six-month delay. If you don't get on to these things quickly, the public make up their own minds about matters."

GE Free NZ in Food and Environment president Claire Bleakley said the delay was "unfathomable".

"We cannot afford for our brand name to be further tarnished by sloppy GE experimenters continually breaking protocols. If overseas testing regimes pick up an escape, as they did in 2002 over Corngate, millions of dollars could be lost in this very fragile economic climate."

Soil and Health Association spokesman Steffan Browning said MAF needed to speed up its response.

"In my experience with MAF and their investigations, they are rather political in how they manage it. They do their research and can be quite thorough, but ultimately their reports are managed in a very political way."

MAFBNZ ordered Plant & Food to clean up the site before Christmas ahead of a final inspection on January 20.

The CRI sterilised the site and soil where the plants were found.

- © Fairfax NZ News