Media Release

30 July 2001

How Can Greens Support Government Now?

New Zealand First Leader, Rt Hon Winston Peters is asking how the Green Party can support the Government after the announcement of the findings of the Royal Commission on Genetic Engineering, which appears to have been endorsed by Cabinet.

The report supports the status quo of allowing the continued use of genetic modification of organisms, with strict controls.

“ How can the Greens continue to support this government if they are snubbed on one of their key non-negotiable policies? The answer is that they cannot if they are truly serious about genetic engineering, “ said Mr Peters. “ The truth is that the Greens are now a doormat for the Government and will roll over on this issue.

“New Zealand First shares the concerns that the Greens have on genetic modification, and therefore we too are apprehensive on many of the decisions made in this report, particularly the lack of safe-guards on experimental organism trials.

“ There are major concerns with the costs of the proposed system. There appears to have been absolutely no work done on the appropriation cost to government of setting up the new Parliamentary office of biotechnology, or the costs to other government agencies and compliance costs to business,’ concluded Mr Peters.

ENDS

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