28 April 2010

AgResearch And ERMA Have Allowed GE Goats Ahead Of Legal Process.

The Soil & Health Association is pleased the Supreme Court is to consider the case brought by GE Free NZ against the Environmental Risk Management Authority’s (ERMA) acceptance of four of AgResearch’s extremely broad ranging GE animal applications.

“AgResearch and ERMA are already abusing public process by beginning genetically engineered (GE) goat field trials in the open environment at Ruakura. This follows a series of applications and decisions aimed at thwarting GE Free NZ and its supporters who want applications to be assessed on a case by case basis as government legislation intended,” said Soil & Health Association of NZ spokesperson Steffan Browning.

“Although within the time frames for further legal challenges to the concept of broad brush applications, AgResearch and ERMA continued to apply for and allow other animal applications using criteria that did not disclose the actual GE animal to be produced.”

“Some applications were granted near Christmas without public consultation, to the point that there are already GE goats being moved in and out of containment facilities without adequate controls or regulatory knowledge of what actual genetic material they contain.”

“Are they human goat, E.coli goat, sheep-cattle-human goats, mouse-virus-human goat, or some other combination and when can an independent scientist or member of the public have a chance to consider the risk of that individual organism? ERMA has arrogantly run rough shod over that opportunity.”

“Why has ERMA allowed AgResearch to cart animals in and out of containment, from within an experimental area that is producing or importing unidentified genetic constructs, is the disposal area for failed GE cattle, and their excrement and milk?”

“On 18 April, I photographed the experimental goats being trailered from within the AgResearch Ruakura GE field trial site through non GE farm areas by quad bike, just 5 days after ERMA allowed GE goats, cattle and sheep with effectively unidentified genetic material outdoors, but while the more substantive legal challenges were still possible,” said Mr Browning. (1)

“GE goats, from the pre-Christmas public excluded application process, had been allowed in indoor facilities at Ruakura to satisfy in part AgResearch’s contractual partner,the cash strapped United States biotech company GTC Biotherapeutics (GTC), an off shoot of discredited Genzyme Corporation.”

Soil & Health has correctly identified conflicts of interest within ERMA hearings panels and the chair of the hearings panel had to stand down after beginning the decision writing that allowed, on 13 April , AgResearch’s carte blanche application to genetically engineer (GE) cattle, sheep and goats using a huge range of E.coli bacteria, human, mouse, sheep, goats, cattle, and viruses and other material.

ERMA has approved GE experiments on a wide range of animals indoors, as low risk without public consultation, although significant risks do apply to both the scientists involved and through leakage, to the environment and general public.

“Soil & Health sees the consistent corrupt process and will support GE Free NZ’s attempts to find legal recourse in the Supreme Court against ERMA and AgResearch’s regulatory excesses. Although a David and Goliath balance, the legal challenges are most likely all that prevents direct action taking place.”

Soil & Health has a vision of an Organic 2020 that includes a clean green and 100% Pure GE Free Aotearoa New Zealand.

(1)    Photographs attached (and available in higher resolution) of 18 April Soil & Health observation of goats in the Ruakura GE containment facility and goats being shifted from the containment facility.

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