Letter to the Editor, Tuesday September 6, 2016

A duty of care upheld

How gratifying to hear the news of our local councils' (Whangarei District Council and Northland Regional Council) win in the High Court against Federated Farmers of NZ's vexatious appeal (the Feds attempting to overturn Principal Environment Court Judge Newhook's unequivocal May 2015 decision in our favour last year).

Well done to our councils (all members of the Northland/Auckland Inter-Council Working Party on GMO Risk Evaluation and Management Options) for working to protect the region's existing valuable GM-free status, and acting on their duty of care to local farmers, the wider community and the environment.

The valuable precautionary GE/GMO provisions in our new Northland regional policy statement (and the identification of the GE/GMO issue as an Issue of Significance to Northland tangata whenua and an issue of concern for Northland communities) can now remain as a result of robust and transparent process, from thousands of submissions of Northland farmers, mana whenua and other ratepayers (and Northland Conservation Board etc).

Local councils are acting on their duty of care to their constituents and the environment, in the face of serious deficiencies in the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act (deficiencies include a lack of strict liability).

All communities in Northland and Auckland (in an independent poll by Colmar Brunton) strongly favour making users of GMOs legally responsible for any economic, environmental or public health harm that may occur as a result of GE experiments or releases.

Federated Farmers' legal challenge to the councils' positive initiative is inexplicable and a waste of their members' hard-earned dollars.

As a representative of food exporters, the federation knows full well the serious economic risk GE experiments and releases present, but appear quite happy to expose farmers to the costs so that the Wellington office can pursue its pro-GM ideological crusade. This is unethical and totally unacceptable.

All councils from south Auckland to Cape Reinga (with the support of local farmers, foresters, beekeepers, orchardists, gardeners and other ratepayers) are working hard to put in place much-needed local protection against outdoor use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Whangarei District Council and Far North District Council are also working collaboratively to put in place excellent precautionary and prohibitive GE rules and policies in our local district plans (WDC plan change #131 and FNDC plan change #18).

And, of course, Auckland Council recently voted (in keeping with the recommendations of the Auckland Unitary Plan Independent Hearings Panel) to retain the valuable precautionary and prohibitive GMO provisions in the new Auckland Unitary Plan.

LINDA GRAMMER
Whangarei