It has been 30 years since GMO-related legislation was last debated in Parliament. Photo: Photo by ANIRUDH on Unsplash
Parliament's Health Select Committee has heard a diverse range of views from the public during its hearings on the Gene Technology Bill.
The Bill, which draws inspiration from Australia's 25-year-old Gene Technology Act, was introduced last year as part of the coalition agreement.
It seeks to enable the use of safe gene technology through establishing a new regulatory regime (led by the Environmental Protection Agency) for genetically modified organisms (GMO).
Photo: Photo by ANIRUDH on Unsplash
The government said New Zealand had lagged behind other countries, which they said were increasingly using gene technology to their benefit in areas such as agriculture, medicine and climate adaptation.
It has been 30 years since GMO-related legislation was last debated in Parliament.
The Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act passed into law in 1996, making it very difficult to release genetically modified organisms into the New Zealand environment.
Back then the debate on GMO was divisive and heated, with protests in the streets, a Royal Commission and the 'corngate' story capturing public attention.
A shadow of that debate has returned with the Gene Technology Bill. Although it has dropped down the ranking of public passions, it is still divisive.
What is GMO?
Genetic modification (GM) gets technical quickly, and unless you're in the field of biotechnology it can be difficult to get your head around.
In brief, GM refers to the altering of an organism's DNA to change its traits. That can involve borrowing genetic code from a second organism.
During the first reading of the Gene Technology Bill, Te Pāti Māori's Hana Rāwhiti-Maipi Clarke, summed it up for any young people listening as "like editing a recipe to make it better, different or potentially even worse."
What are the public telling MPs?
Back in 2001, the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification decided that New Zealand should 'proceed with caution' in regards to GMO.
Dr William Rolleston submitted on the current bill and was among the most supportive.
He told MPs at Wednesday's hearing that "there has been a lot of caution in the last 20 years, and not a lot of proceeding".
Dr William Rolleston during hearing on Gene Technology Bill. Photo: VNP/Louis Collins
Rolleston is chair of the Life Sciences Network, which he said "works to improve scientific literacy and hold misrepresentation of science to account".
He told the Committee "whether-in the words of the Nobel laureates-you base those recommendations on emotion and dogma or on data.
"…what evidence you consider credible will determine that future".
Others were staunchly opposed, such as GE Free New Zealand's Claire Bleakley.
She believed the potential for human error in GMO laboratories was too high and the consequences too great.
She said to the Committee that "consumers …and farmers are …guinea pigs subject to genetic experiments that will threaten the livelihood of producers, whether they are organic or not."
This week's hearing concluded with evidence from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton.
He is Parliament's environment watchdog.
Upton was largely supportive of the law change, but warned MPs against allowing too much ministerial discretion or lobbyist influence.
"The Bill is drafted in a way that gives the minister significant opportunities to influence the regulator without actually taking responsibility for any specific decisions.
"The Bill allows the minister to give wide-ranging general policy directions and regulations that determine the regulator's risk tolerance, risk assessment criteria and conditions for risk management.
"Now, if Parliament wants citizens, businesses and overseas trade partners to have confidence in the decisions of the regulator, the regulator's decisions must be independent of political interference or industry lobbying - social license and trade credibility demands that."
The Gene Technology Bill is due to be reported back to the House by the end of July, when it will be available for a second reading.
It is currently supported by all coalition parties and opposed by all opposition parties.
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