Firm continues to deny access to seed tester

By KEVIN TAYLOR political reporter

The multinational at the centre of Corngate is continuing to deny the parliamentary inquiry access to Melbourne-based GeneScan over testing it did on potentially contaminated GM sweetcorn.

Despite repeated pleas by inquiry chairwoman Jeanette Fitzsimons and National MP Nick Smith yesterday, Syngenta Seeds managing director Peter Gerner maintained that GeneScan would not appear to answer questions.

Novartis Seeds - now Syngenta - imported the 5.6 tonnes of seed in 2000 that sparked Corngate.

The inquiry was called a "circus and a farce" by Prime Minister Helen Clark in Parliament this week, following her attack on Ms Fitzsimons on September 1, when she accused the Greens co-leader of colluding with Dr Smith.

Yesterday, Dr Smith questioned Mr Gerner, appearing by video conference from Melbourne, on a letter to Novartis on December 5, 2000, from GeneScan indicating the corn samples showed trace GM contamination.

"Our experience in qualitative testing leads us to believe the samples received contain trace amounts of GM sweetcorn," the letter said. It said that early test results showed indications of the "35S promoter" (which is in BT11 GM sweetcorn) at a level lower than 1 in 5000 or about 0.02 per cent.

It noted in bold text that until the testing was finished the "figures are not yet conclusive".

"Consequently, one may draw the conclusion that samples received at GeneScan Australia from Novartis Seeds do contain trace-contaminating levels of BT11."

Dr Smith asked Mr Gerner how he reconciled his earlier evidence to the committee that there was no evidence of contamination with the letter.

Mr Gerner repeated the line the Government has pushed ever since Nicky Hager's book Seeds of Distrust was released during last year's election campaign - that there was "no reliable evidence" of contamination.

Mr Gerner repeatedly said GeneScan results were inconclusive. Dr Smith said that was not true. Mr Hager's central claim is that the Government invented a level of tolerance to GM in seed imports when the potentially contaminated corn was discovered, thereby breaking the law.

The Government maintains since there was no reliable evidence of contamination, it was justified in not pulling the corn out and no breach of the law occurred.

GeneScan is now owned by the Government enterprise AgQuality, having been bought in 2001, and Mr Gerner said it continued to do work for Syngenta.

Ms Fitzsimons said the inquiry would not sit again for a month because of other business before the committee.

* Dr Smith has lodged a privileges complaint against Helen Clark for slating the inquiry as a circus and a farce.

He said it was contempt under parliamentary standing orders to adversely reflect on the character or conduct of the House, including its committees.

Two views

Was the sweetcorn contaminated with GM or not?

Seeds of Distrust author Nicky Hager says yes. He claims the Government broke the law by inventing a tolerance level to GM seed imports after lobbying from big business.

The Government's line continues to be there was "no reliable evidence" of contamination - justifying it in not pulling up the corn in late 2000.

The Corngate inquiry wants GeneScan to appear after it wrote a letter in 2000 to Novartis stating testing indicated trace levels of BT11 GM sweetcorn.