GE scare prompted inter-departmental squabble

3.00pm

Government departments squabbled over how to handle the genetically engineered corn scare, according to information contained in a stack of official papers released by the Government last night.

In his book Seeds of Distrust, published last week, author Nicky Hager alleged the government had covered up the planting in 2000 of sweetcorn seed that may have been contaminated with genetically engineered material.

Nothing in the papers released last night indicates that political pressure was applied to Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and Environmental Risk Management Authority (Erma) officials handling the scare.

But industry representatives did pressure the officials for a contamination tolerance level, saying a total ban on imports of GE seeds would ruin the seed industry.

That prompted a conflict between MAF and Erma.

One senior MAF official took the view that Erma should determine the "background level" of GE contamination in seed imports, then set an acceptance level above that.

"He is more an advocate than the industry is," Erma science manager Donald Hannah said of the official in a December 1, 2000 memo.

Hager had accused the Government of considering an acceptance level.

Erma is the regulator responsible for new organisms under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act.

MAF works more closely with companies importing seed, checking issues such as plant health and weed content.

Papers on the affair, promised by Environment Minister Marian Hobbs early yesterday did not arrive until after evening television deadlines were passed.

A Friday night dump of papers is commonly seen as a government tactic to obscure politically sensitive material.

Minutes of a meeting of seed industry and MAF officials in mid-November 2000 showed lobbying for a GE tolerance level by the industry.

That was two weeks after seeds imported from the United States tested positive to GE contamination.

At that point, half the seeds had been planted and both the Government and industry feared GE plants were growing.

A 100 per cent ban on GE contamination in seeds would destroy the seed industry, it told officials at the November 24 meeting. Seed companies would not ship to New Zealand.

MAF and Erma "agreed to be as pragmatic as possible".

Notes from a meeting between Erma and seed companies record the issue was a "political hot potato".

It noted that seed importer Novartis "could not guarantee zero per cent contamination" in its seed.

An Environment Ministry paper also raised the issue of a threshold, warning it was politically sensitive as the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification was sitting.

A threshold would be contrary to the Government's stated objectives of preserving New Zealand's options, the paper said.

It would also "limit" the commission's ability to recommend a future policy of excluding genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or preventing their release, as they would already be present.

By November 30, a proposed interim standard of 0.5 per cent had been drafted.

Officials had already reasoned that a policy document would be required, and that someone "probably the Minister (Ms Hobbs) would have to make the decision".

But by February 2001, after the crop had been cleared of contamination, zero tolerance was back in place, effectively what was required by the HSNO Act.

- NZPA


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