Treasury's summary of GE report biased say Greens

3.00pm

The Green Party is urging government ministers and the public to read for themselves a report issued last week on the impact genetically engineered organisms could have on the economy.

The party's co-leader, Jeanette Fitzsimons, said a summary issued by the Treasury was biased.

"A great disservice has been done to the people of New Zealand," she said in a statement.

"Based on Treasury's misrepresentation, the Government has gone on to mislead the public into believing the report has given GE release the economic thumbs-up."

Ms Fitzsimons said the Treasury had ignored results which showed banning the release of GE organisms would have a positive economic effect.

She accused the Treasury of misrepresenting some of the figures in the report, which was produced by Business and Economic Research Ltd (Berl).

Treasury Secretary John Whitehead said the report was not biased or misleading.

"We place great importance on providing balanced, quality advice," he said.

Mr Whitehead said the Berl report had identified theoretical possibilities and his officials had worked on likely outcomes, and Ms Fitzsimons appeared to have focused on the differences.

Ms Fitzsimons said she had fully analysed the report, which she claims was "dumped" by the Government on Thursday just before the Easter break so that it would get minimum publicity.

"I am calling on ministers and the public, especially farmers, to read the report for themselves," she said.

The report is the latest commissioned by the Government ahead of the lifting of the moratorium on the release of GE crops in October.

Environment Minister Marian Hobbs said it presented scenarios of benefits and costs to the economy, ranging from a drop of 2.4 per cent in the gross domestic product to an increase of 2.5 per cent.

"The most likely economic impact from the careful and considered release of genetically modified organisms would be a small increase in GDP over 10 years," she said on Thursday.

- NZPA