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Call to Action- make your submission to Northland Regional Concil, protect our existing valuable GE free status

Call to Action- Have your Say on GMOs in Northland.    Protect our
existing valuable GE free status!

Submissions needed to Northland Regional Council by 3pm, Friday  9th
December 2011 in response to the NRC draft Regional Policy Statement
(RPS) document.

It's easy - with our key points/ suggestions below :)       thanks!
for your help.


What's it all about?

The Draft New RPS for Northland provides a broad direction and
framework for managing Northland's natural and physical resources,
including land, water, minerals, plants, animals and built structures.

 It is made up of:

Principles to guide the way it is carried out, identified regionally
significant issues, objectives to address the issues, and policies and
methods to achieve the objectives.  You can access the Draft new RPS
using the link below.

It is only reviewed once every 10 years, and certain individuals are
trying to weaken important environmental policies and focus unduly on
economic development.

www.nrc.govt.nz/Your-Council/Council-Projects/New-Regional-Policy-Statement-/Draft-RPS-released/

In addition to whatever other issues are of concern to you, there is
an urgent need to make submissions to the NRC noting the glaring
omission of the NRC's precautionary GE policy, as proposed in the NRC
RPS Discussion Document 2010.

In response to this precautionary GE provision (put forward by the NRC
last year), the NRC received the largest number of submissions made on
any issue raised in the NRC RPS Discussion document 2010, supporting a

Government Research Agenda Goes Against New Zealand Brand

GE FREE NZ Press Release

21 November 2011

Government Research Agenda Goes Against New Zealand Brand


The Ministry of Environment's research into promoting greater use of novel organisms is off-stategy for the New Zealand Brand and shows an intention to dilute bio-security standards. 


NORTHLAND REGIONAL COUNCIL NRC NEEDS TO DO MORE TO SUPPORT NORTHLAND TERRITORIAL AUTHORITIES AND THE AUCKLAND COUNCIL IN KEEPING RISKY GMOs OUT OF THE REGION

GE FREE NORTHLAND Press Release l6 November 2011

NRC NEEDS TO DO MORE TO SUPPORT NORTHLAND TERRITORIAL AUTHORITIES AND
THE AUCKLAND COUNCIL IN KEEPING RISKY GMOs OUT OF THE REGION


GE Free Northland are pleased by the NRC decision yesterday to
reaffirm its own precautionary GE policy and to appoint NRC Chairman
Craig Brown to represent the council on the Inter Council Working
Party on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

"We are concerned, however, that the NRC failed to vote to contribute
funds towards the collaborative section 32 analysis on GMOs that all
Northland territorial authorities and Auckland Council are
undertaking," said Martin Robinson, GE Free Northland spokesperson.

There is sustained concern in Northland and other parts of New
Zealand, about genetic engineering (GE) experiments and releases in
this country, particularly in view of the documented adverse impacts
of GMOs overseas and inadequately contained GE experiments in NZ.

“Nonetheless, central government continues to ignore local community
and independent scientists concerns about GMOs,” said Mr. Robinson.

"Therefore, the NRC needs to put its shoulder to the wheel and support
its territorial authorities and Auckland Council and contribute
funding to the important current work programme of the ICWP on GMOs".

"The NRC is supposed to be the over arching environmental protection
authority for the region. In addition, NRC contributing funds would be
a fiscally prudent move- as by doing the work collaboratively,
councils can share costs and staff expertise".

NRC Chairman Craig Brown responds:

"Having been involved in the process of investigating the risks of
GMOs for well over 10 years, I am disappointed that my council did not

NORTHLAND LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND AUCKLAND COUNCIL COLLABORATIVELY INVESTIGATE LOCAL GMO CONTROLS

GE Free Northland Press Release
13 November 2011

NORTHLAND LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND AUCKLAND COUNCIL COLLABORATIVELY
INVESTIGATE LOCAL GMO CONTROLS

GE Free Northland are delighted by the recent news that Kaipara
District Council voted to join Auckland Council “super city”, Far
North District Council to collaborate with Whangarei District Council
in the investigation of some type local regulation of Genetically
Modified Organisms (GMOs).

KDC Mayor Neil Tiller is the new Kaipara District Council
representative on the  Auckland/Northland  "Inter Council Working
Party on GMO Risk Evaluation & Management Options".

At least four councils are now set to investigate a plan change and
section 32 analysis of GMOs, because of the risks to our biosecurity,
environment, economy, and the livelihoods of existing non -GM primary
producers.

Northland Regional Council will vote on Tuesday l5 November 2011,
whether NRC will join in this important work, in keeping with their
official precautionary GE policies.

There is sustained concern in Northland and other parts of New
Zealand, about genetic engineering (GE) experiments and releases in
this country, particularly in view of the documented adverse impacts
of GMOs overseas.

“Nonetheless, central government continues to ignore local community
and independent scientists concerns about GMOs,” said Martin Robinson,
GE Free Northland spokesperson.

"Therefore, the NRC needs to put its shoulder to the wheel and support
its territorial authorities and Auckland Council and contribute
funding to the important current work programme of the ICWP on GMOs".

Whangarei councillors have already unanimously rejected the outdoor

Time for Northland Regional Council to support its territorial authorities and Auckland Council "super city" in keeping GMOs out of the region

ACTION ALERT

 

Want to help to protect our existing valuable GE free
status from GE experiments and releases on our patch?


You can make a difference.

WHY?
A hugely important meeting of the Northland Regional Council is being
held this Tuesday, 15 November at Kaikohe, where your councillors will
vote on a important GE agenda item.

 

see


www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups/159518017436869/

Northland local authorities and Auckland Council collaboratively investigate local GMO controls

GE Free Northland Press Release

24 July 2011
 
Northland local authorities and Auckland Council collaboratively investigate local GMO controls
 
GE Free Northland are delighted by the news that the Auckland Council “super city” and Far North District Council have made a commitment to collaborate with Whangarei District Council in the investigation of some type of regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
 
At least three councils are now set to investigate a plan change and section 32 analysis of GMOs, because of the risks to our biosecurity, environment

NORTH GATHERS GE FREE CLOUT

27 July 2011 Northern Advocate

NOTHERN ADVOCATE

"North gathers GE free clout"

by Lindy Laird

Eco activists destroy Australian GM wheat crop

AFP - Thu, Jul 14, 2011

        Environmental activists broke into an Australian government research farm Thursday and destroyed an experimental crop of genetically-modified wheat protesting against what they said were safety issues.
       Armed with weed trimmers, three Greenpeace activists scaled a fence at the Canberra facility in the early hours of the morning and razed the crop, which had been modified to lower its glycemic index and increase fibre.
      The government science agency running the trials, CSIRO, confirmed there had been "a break-in overnight at their crop trial site" and it was assessing the damage.
      "The police, and the government's gene technology regulatory authority ... have been informed and are inspecting the site," a CSIRO spokesman told AFP.
"CSIRO is currently assessing the damage to the trial crops and considering next steps."
        Greenpeace said the activists, three women, wore hazardous materials suits to keep them from carrying GM organisms out of the site, and were motivated by concerns about the trial's safety.

Human Trials of GE-Wheat Unethical



Proposals for extending animal feeding studies for GE wheat to humans are unethical and signal the need for an urgent overhaul of the science used by regulators to approve scores of GM foods.

A group of international scientists has warned the developers of a GE-Wheat at the CSIRO in Australia against the proposals. There is an acute ethical issue in the lack of long-term feeding studies in animals, which in some cases show complex and inter-generational harm from the GE food tested of which none of the GM foods approved by Food Authorities have undergone human studies.

Research has recently been published by Professor Peter Gluckman - the New Zealand government's chief scientific advisor - which reveals the complex epigenetic effects relating to maternal diet. The effects continue to the next generation in a way that is not yet understood. This complexity is simply not considered or addressed in safety testing of GE food.

The GE-Wheat been not been adequately tested in animals to even be considered as a candidate for human feeding studies. 

"New Zealand scientists should condemn human feeding trials of GM foods in Australia, and elsewhere," says Jon Carapiet, spokesman for GE-free NZ in food and environment.

Overseas there are reports of GE "golden" rice also being used in human feeding trials, despite the risks to human health being entirely unnecessary.

"It cannot be ethical to be experimenting on humans with Genetically Engineered food when the disease targeted by the golden-rice magic bullet can easily be prevented," says Jon Carapiet.

COUNCIL REJECTION OF GE DESERVES SUPPORT

Guest View as published today's 9 May 2011 Northern Advocate (p. 6), under the heading

COUNCIL REJECTION OF GE DESERVES SUPPORT

 

COUNCIL REJECTION OF GE DESERVES SUPPORT

By

Zelka Grammer

GE Free Northland chairwoman

9 May 2011

NORTHERN ADVOCATE

Cheers WDC for saying NO to GE.

Whangarei councillors recently made history by unanimously rejected the outdoor use of genetically engineered crops and animals in Whangarei District.

WDC is now asking other Northland councils to join in a collaborative plan change to ban all GMOs in our region.

This is a wise move considering that a big multinational like Monsanto or Crown Research Institutes can apply for GE experiments or releases on our patch, without being liable for any harm caused.

After lobbying central government for over 7 years to fix the flaws and gaps in the national minimal legislation that covers GE, local councils have finally had enough and are saying no to GE.

Deformed GE salmon, blends of transgenic animals (including human genes) , GE trees and GE crops that contain insecticide in every cell and gene are the types of experiments Council wants to ban locally to protect our biosecurity, farmers, rural communities and public health.

The Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) approved experiments with GM cattle resulting in high mortality rates and gross deformities. Six-month-old calves who appeared "normal" unexpectedly died when their internal organs ruptured.

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