Biosecurity New Zealand will meet with corn industry representatives today to discuss how to destroy 1800kg of sweetcorn seed potentially contaminated with genetically engineered content, most of which has been planted since it was incorrectly cleared to enter the country in October.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
confirmed last week a bungle at the border had allowed the seed through.
MAF spokesman Brett Sangster said the seed that entered New Zealand was accompanied by documentation declaring it was GE-free.
However, documentation relating to the bulk source of the seed showed the presence of GE content.
Biosecurity NZ was now in discussions with people at the source to establish exactly what kind of GE content the originating seed contained.
Meanwhile, it was also in the process of tracking down the affected seed, which would be destroyed.
Most of it had been planted, Mr Sangster said.
MAF was looking at how to improve security at the border, but stressed the level of contamination was "very, very low", he said.
"We could be talking about one seed in a thousand.
"If you take a sample that's got that one seed in it, you'll get a positive result, but otherwise, it's a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack.
"It's easier to find the haystack and destroy that, so that's what we are doing."
Mr Sangster said there were a range of options available for destruction of the seed, which would be considered today.
He said compensation was obviously of concern to the growers, and the talks were likely to examine that issue as well.
MAF was still establishing exactly where the seeds had been planted.
It was complex, as some growers had multiple sites, and the investigation was ongoing, he said.
New Zealand imports about 750 million conventional maize seeds to plant 31,000ha of maize annually.
In 2004, nearly 4000 tonnes of corn grown in Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Waikato and Northland was found to have traces of GE material.
Then, in 2005, farmers expressed frustration when a big maize consignment was found to be contaminated by GE material - endangering export markets - and proposals were made for as much as 13,500 tonnes of maize to be dumped.
Another inadvertent import of GE seed sparked the "Corngate" political row during the 2002 election campaign.
- NZPA
