Northland protesters join nationwide action against Gene Technology Bill

GE Free Northland chairwoman Zelka Grammer has some clear messaging around GE's presence in the North. Photo / Susan Botting

Northlanders are joining a nationwide call to stop the controversial Gene Technology Bill.

The bill would relax current gene technology restrictions to make researching genetic modification and propagating genetically modified organisms (GMO) in New Zealand easier.

The proposed legislation has met opposition since being introduced to Parliament in December last year.

Those in favour believe the bill will unlock innovation in agriculture, climate solutions and health – including better access to cancer treatments.

But critics argue that controls on the use of genetically engineered material may be weakened or eliminated, and that the country’s GMO-free reputation would be at risk.

Protests are planned nationwide tomorrow with Northlanders gathering in Whangārei outside McKay Stadium from 9am, and in Kerikeri at the State Highway 10 and Kerikeri Rd roundabout or the town centre roundabout from 12pm.

GE Free Northland spokesman Martin Robinson called Whangārei “the heart of the Northland-Auckland GE-free food producer region”, claiming the bill threatened long-standing protections.

“Northland farmers oppose this latest attempt by the National Party to destroy existing GM Free Zones,” he said.

Many farmers, especially those in organic and GE-free sectors, were against the bill, but not all.

DairyNZ has said it supports the bill’s intent to enable safe testing and use of gene technologies, but found “critical” issues that needed addressing to ensure farmers retained agency and choice.

Robinson said GE Free Northland supported the region’s councils, who had worked together since 2003 to protect the environment, farmers and ratepayers from the risks of outdoor GE experiments, field trials and releases.

He believed the Gene Technology Bill was centred on “extreme, impractical, undemocratic and dangerous proposals”.

“There is no built-in protection for the rights of existing GM-free farmers and their valuable enterprises, or the basic right to choose.”

Robinson criticised the removal of the Precautionary Principle, which ensures a “better safe than sorry” approach to avoid serious or irreversible harm.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) considered the backstop outdated.

Its stance prompted criticism from the Physicians and Scientists for Global Responsibility in the form of an open letter to Parliament.

They wrote: “Precaution with newly created gene-edited organisms is never outdated, due to new compounds being produced.”

MBIE proposed instead to have a risk-proportionate framework, case-by-case risk assessment, tiered regulation, and the establishment of a gene technology regulator.

GE Free Northland chairwoman Zelka Grammer said New Zealanders had a right to know what they were growing and eating.

“We will fight to protect our ‘Northland, naturally’ brand, food sovereignty, and biosecurity.”

GE Free Northland was calling on the Government to stop the bill, which was still with the health select committee and had not yet had its second reading.