New GE Liability Laws Needed to Protect Public

GE Free New Zealand PRESS RELEASE –30.7.07

New GE Liability Laws Needed to Protect Public from Officials' Mistakes

The government must develop new legislation to ensure local ratepayers and the general public are not left to cover the costs of harm caused by official approval of GM foods, field trials or commercialised products.

The legislation must also support regional communities to formalise GE-Free Zones, many of which have already been declared unofficially, and are similar to thousands established overseas in light of the global consumer demand for GE-free produce.

Current legislation effectively "socialises the risk" on the public purse, including ratepayers and farmers, as long as those using GE crops or food ingredients follow the guidelines set by the authorities making approvals.

Unfortunately those guidelines are flawed: authorities accept or ignore risks and do no independent testing. In the case of GE foods authorities rely on data supplied by the companies pushing the products, who then get immunity from being held responsible for 'unexpected' effects.

Moreover- there is already clear evidence that negative effects are not 'unexpected' after all. Independent scientists have warned against ERMA and Food Authorities continuing to deliberately ignore data and lessons from overseas on the inevitable spread of contamination.

The Law Commission has also previously issued a report detailing the exposure of communities to irreversible damage from GE organisms.

The urgent need for legislation has been highlighted by Central Government's notification to regional and local authorities that responsibility and costs fall onto local government and local landowners if genetically engineered crops contaminate natural crops or the
environment and have to be cleaned up.
"In light of the former Environment Minister David Benson Pope's statement we now know councils and local ratepayers will be liable under the RMA for clean up costs," says Jon Carapiet from GE Free NZ (in food and environment).

The biotechnology companies pushing commercialisation should carry that responsibility by law, not the public of New Zealand, since the vast majority of people see no role for GE in the future of agriculture in this country.

New Zealand food manufacturers are also exposed to the risk of lawsuits arising from GE foods being approved into the food chain. Even if the contamination by GE products is accidental and the harm caused to humans or animals is 'unexpected', the companies who fail to safety-test or contain their GE organisms must carry the cost.

ENDS

References:

Link to WDC Press Release of 24 July 07
www.wdc.govt.nz/council/?lc=news&id=1877&tid=9&title=Media%20Release&c=a
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