Madge GM case goes ahead

An anti-GM lobby group says its case against the Government's biggest science company will probably take place in the second week of June.

Mothers Against Genetic Engineering in Food and the Environment (Madge) spokeswoman Alannah Currie said it was back on track in seeking a High Court judicial review of the Environmental Risk Management Authority's (Erma) processes in allowing an application to develop GM cows.

Crown science company AgResearch failed on Thursday to have Madge lodge a $30,000 security payment in the court case.

Madge has alleged AgResearch's project to put copies of human and other animal genes into cows would have been blocked if Erma had rigorously and correctly applied the law. AgResearch wanted Madge to pay $30,000 as security against costs before the case is heard and estimated its own legal costs would be more than $100,000.