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NO to Genetic Engineering

NO to Genetic Engineering

("Our Town" column)

by

Whangarei Mayor Morris Cutforth

in the Whangarei Report, Thursday 28 April 2011

 

A constant theme of my mayoralty is that Council needs to listen to the people. A prime example of the will of the people making itself felt is over the controversial issue of genetic engineering.

GE is the 'most-submitted' issue WDC has ever had, attracting over 7,000 submissions of which around 90% were in favour of ensuring Whangarei District remains GE free. Council has heard what people have said and supported it. Last week we voted unanimously to investigate regulating genetically modified organisms through the District Plan in conjunction with other councils in Northland and Auckland. This will most likely mean that releases of GMOs will be prohibited and resource consents will be needed for GE trials in Northland and Auckland.

I am delighted that I have come to Council at this epic point in an eight year journey, where in essence we are saying 'no!' to genetic engineering. Before I was elected to Council I didn't have a strong view one way or the other about GE, but since I have become more involved I have met many people who are passionate about it. After listening to their stories about what can go wrong - often at a very real and personal level - I can understand their passion and I am glad we are able to do something practical at last. And just as importantly, Whangarei and Northland are being seen as taking the lead in an important national and international issue.

Cheers for the WDC- saying NO to GE

Cheers for the WDC- saying NO to GE

           Whangarei councillors have unanimously, and historically, rejected the outdoor use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Whangarei District.  WDC is asking other Northland councils to join in a collaborative plan change, to ban all GMOs in our region (a wise move considering that at any moment, a big multinational like Monsanto or Crown Research Institutes can apply for GE experiments or releases on our patch, without being liable for harm caused).

WHANGAREI STEPS CLOSER TO A GMO BAN

 

 

 

 

www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/northland/whangarei-leader/4904334/Steps-closer-to-a-GMO-ban

Steps closer to a GMO ban

WHANGAREI LEADER

by

Denise Piper

19/04/2011

Cheers and claps supported Whangarei district councillors as they made a move to ban genetically modified organisms in the district.

At an environment committee meeting last Wednesday councillors unanimously voted to investigate regulating GMOs through the district plan.

The regulation is likely to prohibit releases of GMOs to the environment and requiring resource consents for GE trials.

Whangarei is the first council to agree to regulation but it hopes it will be joined by other councils in Northland and Auckland who are part of the Inter-council Working Party on GMO Risk Evaluation and Management Options.

That would mean the costs can be shared. But councillor Crichton Christie says the council will go it alone if necessary.

"This has been eight years in the making. At the end of the day this is about managing the risk that this council has over genetic engineering – it is not about whether you agree with GE or not," he says.

"It would be nice if the other councils came with us but if not we still have to manage the risk."

Environment Minister Nick Smith has confirmed the costs of environmental damage from a GMO release gone wrong could rest with the council and neighbouring property owners.

WHANGAREI DISTRICT COUNCIL MOVES TO PROTECT ITS COMMUNITY FROM GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS

GE FREE NORTHLAND

Press Release 15 April 2011

 

Whangarei District Council moves to protect its community from Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

 

Whangarei District Councillors have voted unanimously to reject the outdoor use of genetically engineered (GE) crops and animals in the District.   Whangarei District Council will now (in addition to its own District Plan change to prevent GMO land use) actively seek to undertake a collaborative plan change with all Northland councils and Auckland Council to keep GMOs out of the wider region.

 

Well done WDC!

WHANGAREI DISTRICT COUNCIL VOTES UNANIMOUS WAY FORWARD FOR STOPPING GE

13 April 2011

 News release

 Whangarei vote unanimous on way forward for GE

 

www.wdc.govt.nz/NewsRoom/MediaReleases/2011-Media-Releases/Pages/Whangarei-vote-unanimous-on-way-forwardforGE.aspx

 Whangarei District Council (WDC) has taken a leadership position on the controversial issue of genetic engineering. Councillors voted unanimously today at their Environment Committee Meeting to investigate regulating genetically modified organisms (GMOs) through the District Plan in conjunction with other councils in Northland and Auckland. The regulation would most likely take the form of prohibiting releases of GMOs to the environment and requiring resource consents for GE trials undertaken in Northland and Auckland.

NORTHLAND CAN LEAD ANTI GMO FIGHT

 

see

 

 

http://whangareileader.realviewdigital.com/#

letters to editor:

email: whangarei.editor@snl.co.nz

 

ACTIVISTS SAY NORTHLAND CAN LEAD ANTI GMO FIGHT

by Denise Piper

l4 April 2011

WHANGAREI LEADER

A grassroots movement against Genetically Modified Organisms could start in Northland, activists say.

Councils can now restrict or prevent the outdoor use of Genetically Modified Organisms under the Resource Management Act.

Clarification from Environment Minister Nick Smith means GMOs could be banned entirely if the community wants.

Previously councils were warned that if they got involved in controlling the organisms they could assume some of the liability for any future problems caused by GMOs.

The Northland Regional and Whangarei District Councils are part of an Inter Council Working Party on GMO Risk Evaluation & Management Options.

The Working Party has now commissioned a report to identify the optimal wording for any rules in the council's District Plans or Regional Policy Statements.

Working Party Chairman Dr. Kerry Grundy will be giving Whangarei councillors more information at their Environment Committee meeting tomorrow.

GE Free Northland spokeswoman Zelka Grammer says there is an opportunity for Whangarei and Northland to lead the rest of the country agains GMOs- the same way New Zealand's nuclear free movement started at a community level.

The situation in Japan shows that there is are damn good reasons why there's prohibition of nuclear reactors and I would say there's damn good reasons to prohibit GMOs.

SECRET GE PINE EXPERIMENTS AT ROTORUA SITE A THREAT TO NZ'S BIOSECURITY AND FORESTRY

 

 

 

GE FREE NORTHLAND Press Release

16 March 2011

SECRET GE PINE EXPERIMENTS AT ROTORUA SITE A THREAT TO NZ'S BIOSECURITY AND FORESTRY

GE Free Northland shares the concerns expressed by many New Zealanders about ERMA’s recent approval of Scion’s GE pine application for 4,000 GE pines, at secret sites at the Scion Rotorua property.

The Scion application contains information that is misleading and inaccurate. Implementation of this field trial would expose the country's economy and environment to serious risks.

Previous GE field trials by NZ Crown Research Institutes have been found to be in breach of the conditions of approval by ERMA. Given that Scion (despite public opposition) has used public funding for this risky GE experiment, it is even more important to know where GE trials are being conducted, to keep the inspectors and trial operators honest.

"GE pine pollen travels long distances and cannot be constrained to one known site, but the public must at least know where this site is, in order for them to be informed of risks and to be able to keep an eye on the GE trees."

"How are 4,000 trees going to be monitored in safety when previously 70 GE trees could not be properly looked after by Scion?" asked Martin Robinson, spokesperson for GE Free NZ (Northland).

An example of misleading information from Scion is their claim that pine pollen only disperses for 300 metres. However, a number of recent scientific publications have reported viable pine pollen spreading up to 60 kilometres.

Research published last year showed that pine pollen travels up to 41 kms in as little as 3 hours in moderate winds. At higher wind speeds pollen can travel this distance in 45 minutes, reaching altitudes of 610 metres.

GE FREE NORTHLAND AGM Monday, l4 March 2011 WHANGAREI

GE FREE NORTHLAND (in food and environment) Annual General Meeting

 

Monday, l4 March 2011-  at 7pm

Venue:  Eco Solutions, 3a Bank St, Whangarei

(opposite the Whangarei bus depot & the Grand Hotel)

 

ANIMAL DEATH TOLL ENDS CLONING TRIALS

 

letters to editor:

email: letters@dompost.co.nz

 

 

www.stuff.co.nz/national/4681283/Animal-death-toll-ends-cloning-trials

Animal death toll ends cloning trials

DOMINION POST

by Kiran Chug

21/02/2011

STOPPED: AgResearch has ended its cloning trials after acceptable death rates were recorded.

Unacceptable death rates of laboratory animals have forced AgResearch to end its cloning trials.

But the science agency says it will continue to create more genetically engineered animals using new research methods.

The state research organisation has issued reports into trials conducted at its Ruakura centre that detail chronic arthritis, pneumonia, lameness and blood poisoning among the causes of cattle, sheep and goat deaths.

The reports, made available to The Dominion Post under the Official Information Act, refer to trials including those carried out on genetically engineered animals being developed to produce a kind of super milk, as well as animals being cloned.

Other trials where deaths occurred included those looking for resistance to eczema in sheep, exploring feeding motivation in pregnant sheep, and collecting tissue from genetically modified embryos.

Applied biotechnologies general manager Jimmy Suttie said that after 13 years of studying how to prevent abnormalities forming in cloned animals, AgResearch had ended its cloning research.

"The decision was made, enough is enough."

Inquiry into AgResearch GE experiments needed

Inquiry into AgResearch GE experiments needed

GREENS PRESS RELEASE  21 FEBRUARY 2011

 Contact: Sue Kedgley MP

It is time for AgResearch to admit the failure of its genetic engineering experiments on animals and halt these experiments altogether, the Green Party said today.

 

"A full Parliamentary inquiry is needed into the ethics and animal welfare issues surrounding the failed GE trials at AgResearch's Ruakura facility," Green Party Animal Welfare spokesperson Sue Kedgley said.

There has been a veil of secrecy surrounding AgResearch’s GE animal experiments which it conducts using taxpayers’ money. It’s time to lift the lid on that research and consider the animal welfare and ethical implications of creating GE animals.

 

AgResearch has today revealed unacceptably high death rates among its genetically engineered laboratory animals. It also revealed that deformities including lameness, chronic arthritis and a high rate of foetal deaths, has forced it to abandon its experiments to create GE animals by cloning techniques.

 

"Yet AgResearch still intends to push on with its GE animal experiments, using unproven, experimental techniques," Ms Kedgley said.

 

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