Further tests confirm GE contamination

12.45pm

Further tests have confirmed the discovery of genetically engineered maize crops in Gisborne and Pukekohe, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said today.

MAF had confirmed it would start destroying about 30 tonnes of the seed tomorrow.

MAF's plants biosecurity director Richard Ivess said that the Australian company, Pacific Seeds Pty Ltd , of Toowoomba, in Queensland had received the results of further testing which confirmed the contamination of the crops with genetically engineered seed.

The seed owners had had the seed tested for two gene sequences, known as 35S and nos3, commonly found in GE maize and corn. The results had shown the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter, widely used in GE maize.

The company then sent back further samples to pin down the particular traits for which the GE constructs had been engineered.

"The tests indicated the presence of one of the varieties genetically engineered for insect resistance," he said.

Some GE seeds were picked up in routine post-harvest testing, shortly after the general election -- in which GE issues featured strongly -- and MAF officials were told of the results on August 7, the day after the company received them.

MAF officials announced the find on August 8, and said the seed was not grown for consumption, and none of it had entered the food chain.

They said Pacific Seeds was willing to destroy the harvested seed, hybridised from four lines of parent stock from the United States.

Pacific Seeds international manager Nick Gardner said the value of the 30 tonnes of maize seed being destroyed was about $20,000.

Pacific Seeds had about 10 per cent of the lucrative maize seed market in New Zealand, and had contract growers hybridise the crop from seed imported from the Monsanto company and from the Garst Seed Co.

Mr Gardner said his company would not distribute maize seed to dealers for the rest of the year and warned there could be critical seed shortages.

Pacific Seeds employs four people, all in sales and distribution, out of its Hamilton office, and delivers seed to farm supply dealers such as Wrightson, RD1.com and Farmlands.

Compulsory testing of sweetcorn seed imports was introduced 12 months ago, and this month week it was extended to maize seeds.

The seed that produced the contaminated crop was imported in July and August of 2001, before there was any mandatory testing for maize.

MAF said today it was checking that there had not been other maize crops around the harvest sites that could have been contaminated by pollen, and would be checking for seed left in the ground which might grow this spring.

- NZPA

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