THE LAST WORD
ABOLISHING REGULATION
AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS
A WORRY FOR GE FREE
GE Free NZ says Kiwi scientists have been beaten to market for sale of redfleshed
apples. Here, president Claire Bleakley explains why there are good
NZ Plant and Food, previously called
Crop and Food, has been involved
in many GMO field trails. All have
failed or been closed down due to
breaches and a cavalier attitude of
some of their scientists, costing the
taxpayer many thousands of dollars.
After the many failures and breaches
of their field trials, it is wrong to be
calling for abolishing regulation and
safety protocols. Further, it is hard to
trust that the desire for cost recovery
through patents will prioritise rigorous
safety testing protocols. New Zealand
regulations for food and environmental
safety are vital to protect the country
and New Zealand’s reputation as
a premium food producer from the
dangers and human errors of GMOs.
Claire Bleakley is head of GE Free
NZ, which is based in Wellington.
reasons to regulate new gene editing (GE) technologies.
In a rush to get their GE apples to
market, Plant and Food scientists
have sent their small plum-sized
GE apples to San Francisco for
a ‘taste testing’ to escape the
long-term safety requirements of
New Zealand and EU regulations.
They have spent millions of dollars
on these GE apples, yet there are
already traditionally bred red-fleshed
apples on the market. Lubera, a Swiss
company, has many varieties of redfleshed
apples that are sweet, tangy,
crispy and scab-resistant already
commercialised and on the market.
The public expects responsible
oversight of genetic engineering and
there are good reasons to regulate
new gene editing (GE) technologies.
The relentless promotion of the idea
that gene editing needs no regulation
is self-serving and ignores historical
lessons of science. It deflects from
the terrible failures of the first ‘GMO.1’
foray into genetic manipulation. Gene
editing technology is only five years
old and brings risk of unintentional
effects which requires oversight. It
is reasonable for people to expect
novel products have been subject to
feeding trials to see if they are safe
to eat. New Zealand is leading the
way in sustainable non-GE farming
and the CRI scientists should not be
continuing expensive and unproven
GE technology, or promoting its
deregulation for the reason that it
is fast at creating new varieties.
The global demand for Non-GMO
products is growing because of the
desire for natural, organic safe food
He confesses
that the test
results on the
GM potatoes
were not
as healthy
as normal
potatoes. He
says, “they
were often
misshapen,
stunted,
chlorotic,
necrotic and
sterile, and
many GM
plants often
died quickly.
and sustainable agriculture. Industry
cannot be left to police itself, as it
is a chorus of vested interests that
is demanding gene-edited products
have no regulation. Dr Rommens,
ex-director of J.R. Simplot and the
developer of the GE potatoes, has
spoken about industry shortcuts taken
to get a GE food to market. The testing
is focused on short-term benefits (in
the laboratory) without considering
the long-term deficits (in the field).
He confesses that the test results on
the GM potatoes were not as healthy
as normal potatoes. He says, “they
were often misshapen, stunted,
chlorotic, necrotic and sterile, and
many GM plants often died quickly.
More importantly, I didn’t understand
that the concealed bruises accumulate
certain toxins that may compromise
the nutritional quality of potato foods.”
46 FEBRUARY 2019