MAF probes GE-corn risk in Gisborne and Pukekohe

6.15pm

There is a chance corn seed grown in Pukekohe and Gisborne has been contaminated with genetically modified organisms, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) said today.

MAF was told of the contamination risk yesterday by Pacific Seeds of Australia, the company the seed was being grown for. Pacific Seeds discovered the contamination during routine post-harvest testing on August 6.

None of the seed was grown for consumption and none of it has entered the food chain, MAF spokesperson Brett Sangster said in a statement.

All the seed is being held in secure storage supervised by MAF and will be destroyed.

Mr Sangster said the possibility that Pacific Seeds' tests were false positives could not be ruled out yet.

"Pacific Seeds is currently conducting additional tests to validate the August 6 results and also examine in closer detail the seed DNA.

"MAF has also arranged for parallel testing in accredited international laboratories of seed material from the maize crops harvested in New Zealand and also from the imported parent lines of these crops."

Mr Sangster said MAF and the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) would investigate whether any further action needs to be taken at the sites where the crops were grown.

The parent lines were tested prior to their import into New Zealand and no GM material was found. MAF is arranging for samples from the original parent seed lines to be tested to validate this.

- HERALD STAFF

nzherald.co.nz/ge

GE links

GE glossary