“Harnessing Biotech” will bring New Zealand into the 21st Century

“Making the legislation on genetic modification fit for purpose will bring New Zealand biotech into the 21st century” Dr William Rolleston, the chair of the Life Sciences Network said today in welcoming National’s Harnessing Biotech plan.

“The current New Zealand legislation puts in place impossible hurdles for agriculture and conservation simply because an organism is genetically modified, not because it is dangerous. It is legislation which discriminates against a technology rather than assessing risk through science. Even more bizarrely, while genetic technologies have become more precise, under current legislation only techniques developed after 1998 are captured by our tough GM rules.

“This makes no sense” said Dr Rolleston, “it is like requiring only new cars to have a warrant of fitness.”

“Fears that GM is harmful or that we will lose some mythical GE free status do not stand up to the facts.” Dr Rolleston added. “GM has been used in food production around the world for almost thirty years without even a headache attributable to the technology. We are not GM free - there have been almost a dozen approvals for the release of GM organisms for medicine, which have a more practical approval pathway, and GM petunias have been growing in Northland for almost ten years.”

The US is both the largest organic producer and the largest grower of GM crops. New Zealand farmers don’t have that choice. GM crops are being grown on more than 190 million hectares across 29 countries. “In fact, GM crops have been so popular with farmers that, in some countries, uptake is close to 100%, yet farmers in New Zealand have been denied the choice simply because the legislation stifles innovation.”

Biotechnology is critical in the production of life-saving medicines such as Keytruda and the COVID vaccine, in the production of healthier and more accessible food and in reducing humanity’s environmental footprint. “While a small market for GE Free foods exists, surveys consistently show that consumers are willing to accept GM if it reduces our environmental footprint.”

“New Zealand farmers and conservationists have been facing their challenges with one hand tied behind their backs. National is offering a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring the GM legislation up to the modern age and we hope that Labour will also rethink its current settings and enable a bipartisan approach to GM regulation based on science rather than fear”, concluded Dr Rolleston.

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