Opportunity to make submissions supporting Whangarei District Council & Far North District Council GMO Plan change


Great news!

Opportunity to make submissions supporting Whangarei District Council & Far North District Council GMO Plan change

Whangarei District Council and Far North District Council recently publicly notified their collaborative GMO Plan change to BAN all GMO releases and make any EPA approved outdoor GE experiments/ field trials a Discretionary activity, subject to additional local stringent requirements (that the HSNO Act does NOT require!)  This is in alignment with Auckland Council, who has already begun the process through its proposed Unitary Plan consultation.

Please support our Northern councils innovative work to protect our biosecurity, unique biodiversity, existing non GM primary producers, our economy and the public health from the risks of outdoor use of GMOs.

See GE Free Northland easy submission guide at www.gefree.org.nz/action-templates/

 

 

WHANGAREI DISTRICT COUNCIL and FAR NORTH DISTRICT COUNCIL collaborative GMO Plan change

(This is a collaborative GMO Plan change, in alignment with Auckland Council, so please make supportive submissions to both FNDC and WDC).

Deadline: 9 September 2014 but let's start writing submissions now!

Key points for easy submission writing will be provided by GE Free Northland available by ringing GE Free Northland (09 4322155) or emailing us: linda.grammer@gmail.com   We need thousands of supportive submissions for this innovative Plan change, in the interests of Northland farmers, horticulturists, beekeepers, foresters, gardeners and other ratepayers.

you can either support the excellent WDC and FNDC GMO Plan change in entirety (say you want the Plan change retained as it is written) or...say that you support the WDC/FNDC collaborative GMO Plan change but that you want any EPA approved outdoor GE experiments/ field trials Prohibited as well as GMO releases

For more detail

see

www.wdc.govt.nz/PlansPoliciesandBylaws/Plans/DistrictPlan/DistrictPlanChanges/Pages/default.aspx

 email your submission to WDC to

email: mailroom@wdc.govt.nz

online submission form WDC

www.wdc.govt.nz/OnlineForms/Pages/District-Plan-change-submission.aspx


For Far North District Council's part of the collaborative GMO Plan change (in alignment with WDC and Auckland Council)

go to

www.fndc.govt.nz/services/environmental-policy-and-forward-planning/the-far-north-district-plan/plan-changes/plan-change-18


or ring FNDC staff member Tammy Wooster for assistance  0800 920 029

or Martin Robinson (Community Board representative, Kerikeri) 09 407 8650

please email your submission to Far North District Council

email: Plan.Changes@fndc.govt.nz

 

This is an excellent GMO Plan change, banning all GMO releases and making any Environmental Protection Agency (EPA in Wellington) approved outdoor GE experiments/ field trials a Discretionary activity, subject to additional sensible local requirements (that the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act does not require).

It is of concern that in the past ERMA (and now the EPA) consistently chose to NOT take a precautionary approach to GE applications for outdoor use of GMOs.  The lack of a truly strict liability regime for outdoor use of GMOs  (under the HSNO Act) is of great concern to Northern councils, their ratepayers/ communities.  The precautionary and prohibitive GE policies of all Taitokerau Iwi authorities for their respective rohe must be upheld.

The northern councils are working to ban all GMO releases and create an additional tier of local protection regarding any EPA approved outdoor GE experiments/ field trials.  The councils will insist that those would experiment with GMOs out of doors in our region (and who easily clear the hurdle of the EPA in Wellington) have to prove financial fitness, post a substantive bond, and be financially liable for unintended or unforseen adverse impacts of EPA approved oudoor GE experiments/ field trials

GE Free Taitokerau has put together an easy submission guide- key points for easy submission writing (for those concerned about the risks of outdoor use of GMOs and the lack of strict liability).  Please ring or email us at: linda.grammer@gmail.com

or visit

www.gefree.org.nz/action-templates/

Cheers

Zelka Linda Grammer & Marty Robinson

for GE Free Northland

contact: 09 4322155 (Whangarei)  09 407 8650  (Kerikeri)

See also Whangarei District Council's GENETIC ENGINEERING page for more information or contact Dr. Kerry Grundy, Team Leader, Futures Planning, Whangarei District Council...and Convenor of the Northland/ Auckland INTER COUNCIL WORKING PARTY ON GMO RISK EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OPTIONS  09 430 4200  or Freephone:   0800 WDC INFO or 0800 932 463  Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm

  email: kerryg@wdc.govt.nz

www.wdc.govt.nz/PlansPoliciesandBylaws/Plans/Genetic-Engineering/Pages/default.aspx#Expand