Fitzsimons calls for tests on land where alleged GE crops grew

11.45am

Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons has called for tests on land where genetically engineered (GE) corn was said to have grown to ensure no contamination took place.

Activist-author Nicky Hager yesterday said in his book Seeds of Distrust, GE contaminated corn was planted in Hawke's Bay, Gisborne and Marlborough.

Cabinet ministers Michael Cullen, Peter Hodgson and Marian Hobbs made assurances that all the evidence indicated there was no risk of contamination.

But Ms Fitzsimons yesterday advocated a cautious approach, one she felt had been lacking when the corn was planted.

"What we should do now is find out if the seed was sown from any of those plants and test anything that is growing in those fields now to test if there is any genetic contamination still there," she told NZPA.

"The question is are there some ... corn plants that grew from seed that dropped. They should be tested."

News of the plantings horrified the Greens, who have vowed to bring down any government that lifts the moratorium on commercial release of GE.

The moratorium is due to be lifted in October 2003.

Labour claims to have the strictest GE controls in the world had been shattered, Ms Fitzsimons said.

The relationship between Labour and the Greens became even more dysfunctional, on a day when the polls indicated for the first time Miss Clark might not win enough votes on July 27 to govern alone.

She has previously said the Greens had ruled themselves out as a coalition partner over their "bottom line" stance on the GE moratorium.

Ms Fitzsimons said she would "absolutely not" change that stance, even with GE material having already been planted in New Zealand.

The Government could have put the seeds through the proper regulatory process and chose not to, she said.

- NZPA