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The Royal Commission on Genetic Modification - submissionsNew Zealand Vegetable and Potato Growers’ Federation (Inc.)A joint submission with the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation (Inc.) and the New Zealand Berryfruit Growers’ Federation (Inc.) STRATEGIC ISSUES & OPTIONS — SECTIONS A(1), B(l), B(m)Submission The New Zealand Vegetable and Potato Growers’ Federation (the Federation) observed that New Zealand is a trading nation that relies heavily on its ability to export food products. Genetic modification (GM) was stated to have the potential to improve production sustainability, reduce agrichemical use, protect or improve the environment, protect or improve human health and create unique products that fulfil customer requirements. It was acknowledged that there is uncertainty in respect to the present and future use of GM technology in New Zealand. They then stated that society as a whole needs to consider what level of risk it is prepared to accept. If appropriate risk assessment proves that the risks are greater than society is prepared to accept, it is unlikely that New Zealand would accept the importation of GM food and/or the commercial release of GM crops. To date the ANZFA risk assessment process has not established a risk higher than that New Zealand is prepared to accept. LAW & LEGISLATION — SECTIONS A(2), B(h)Submission The Federation then stated that provision for the post approval monitoring and control of GMOs needs to be implemented and enforced. Whether monitoring or control is required should be decided as a part of the ERMA approval process. There should also be provision for the removal of such restrictions based on new information on the GMO concerned. The removal or amendment of monitoring or control requirements should be made on a case by case basis. The Federation also believes that labelling of seeds and nursery stock and other propagative material, with their GM status, is required. This is key to ensuring that information is passed down the production chain and vital in terms of producers being able to exercise choice about whether or not they grow GM crops. Labelling should include ‘country of origin’ in order to enhance public confidence in New Zealand’s regulatory processes and to prevent ‘back door’ importation of GM products into New Zealand. They then stated that the process of substantial equivalence is key step in the safety assessment process. However, it is not a safety assessment in itself; rather it is used to structure the safety assessment of a new food relative to its conventional counterpart. This concept aids in the identification of potential safety and nutritional issues but it does not imply absolute safety of the new product. RISKS & BENEFITS — SECTIONS B(a), B(b), B(c), B(j)Submission Most of the benefits and risks in respect to the application of GM technology have been outlined in previous submissions. These are marker assisted selection (see submission of Dr Susan Gardiner on behalf of HortResearch), DNA probes for disease causing organisms (see the submission of HortResearch), gene transfer (Dr Dan Cohen of behalf of HortResearch, Dr Philip Salisbury on behalf of the Feed Manufacturers Association) The following are new consideration raised by the Federation. The Federation outlined the research and submission of Dr Anthony Connor of Crop & Food Research. In brief, potatoes with improved resistance to potato tuber moth have been produced. It has been shown that transgenic lines can perform in a stable manner from season to season and that the next step is to use the most promising lines in scale-up trials. These trials will be used to study yield potential, the interaction with the pest, and the impact on beneficial organisms. This will include research to confirm recent findings that established GM potatoes have no effect on the reproduction of the parasitoid used for biological control of potato tuber moth, nor on lacewings which may consume aphids feeding on the GM plants. They then observed that Crop and Food Research have researched and published a paper on pollen dispersal form GM potatoes and determined an absence of gene transfer to other Solanum species, including nightshade weeds. They also established an incidence no greater than non-GM potatoes, of the volunteer appearance of GM potatoes in following seasons. It was also noted that as fruiting on fertilisation is not allowed to occur in a commercial environment. This is because the potato tuber is used as a source of nutrients for the fruit and it will draw from it in order to mature the fruit. This reduces the possibility of gene transfer in potato crops. There is also a project that is focusing on breeding tamarillo plants with resistance to tamarillo mosaic virus (TaMV). TaMV remains a barrier to trade because infection is obvious and fruit quality is reduced. Using a transgenic approach, it has been possible to insert a small part of the virus into tamarillo plants, effectively inoculating the plant against infection. Furthermore, tamarillo is a self pollinating plant and while it produces a lot of pollen, it does not pollinate other Cyphomandra species. |