NZ biotech welcomes govt's GM decision

New Zealand's biotechnology industry will emerge into the sunlight next week, after the NZ Parliament voted decisively to end the nation's moratorium on field trials of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Despite a vigorous campaign by anti-GM groups to keep NZ GM-free indefinitely, the parliament voted 92-24 last Wednesday night to pass the New Organisms Bill, which permits the release of GMOs on a case-by-case basis.

The chairman of New Zealand's Life Science's Network, Dr William Rolleston, said New Zealand's biotechnology industry now had a "decent stepping stone" to move towards full commercial development of GM plants, animals and microorganisms.

Rolleston said that, despite community perceptions, New Zealand researchers and companies had been subjected to a far more restrictive regulatory regime on field trials than their counterparts in Australia, or even in GM-shy Britain.

"Until now, our ability to conduct any field trials has been extremely limited, and farm-scale field trials were virtually impossible, because we were limited to strict containment," he said.

"With conditional releases we can now start to look at the risks and benefits of GMOs under near-normal production conditions in the farm environment."

Rolleston believes the end of the moratorium, and the advent of conditional field trials, will promote more rational discussion of GM issues. "It will at least take the argument into a scientific forum where science can be dealt with in a rational and deliberate manner, instead of it being debated in the court of public opinion, where the standard of evidence is lower." He said the New Zealand media had generally been "pretty good" in reporting on GM issues, steering away from emotive and unhelpful terms like 'Frankenfoods' and 'superweeds'. "It's noticeable that they're no longer carrying many of the anti-GM movement's press releases -- they're using more discretion."

Rolleston said it was difficult to determine the degree to which the restrictive regulatory environment had chilled research and development in New Zealand's biotech industry. In at least one case, involving low-lignin GM forestry trees aimed at reducing the use of chemicals in paper-making, the field trials had been conducted in Florida, at a huge cost to New Zealand's ability to demonstrate its capabilities in the field.

Rush not expected

Companies and research agencies are unlikely to rush to conduct field trials under the new legislation, according to Rolleston. The projects closest to field trials are a GM potato containing a Bt gene that protects it against the potato tuber moth, and a Roundup Ready onion, tolerant to the herbicide glyphosate.

Transgenic dairy cows engineered to express therapeutic proteins in their milk will probably not be released into the environment because of their high value, and the need to segregate them from non-GM cattle.

Rolleston said some of the projects in New Zealand's pipeline promised substantial environmental benefits that could increase community confidence in the technology.

They include a project to immunosterilise NZ's plague of Australian brushtail possums using a genetically modified intestinal parasite, or GM carrots. Biofuels from GM crops, and bioremediation of oil and chemical spills using GM bacteria could also help counter negative community views on GMOs.

In last week's parliamentary vote, the opposition National Party voted with the Labour government to pass the legislation. The Greens, who have led political opposition to GMOs, were supported by NZ First and the Progressive Party, which normally votes with Labour.

Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons has vowed to continue the fight to keep NZ GM-free.