GE Brassica Trials - High Court Papers Filed Today
After much consideration papers will be filed today in relation to errors in law relating to approvals for field trials of GE Brassica.
GE Free NZ (in food and environment) has decided that flawed decision making cannot go unscrutinised.
Unfortunately there is no other legal redress for those making public submissions to challenge what appears to be an approach by ERMA that justifies why an experiment should go ahead instead of considering all points and then finding solutions to best address them.
ERMA received 940 submissions asking that the application be declined in light of known dangers to the New Zealand economy, public and animal health; making a commercial release at any stage in the future impossible to envisage.
The ERMA hearing was initially disrupted as people protested the farcical nature of the process and expressed concern that ERMA would approve the application regardless of submissions. The hearing cost NGO�s many thousands of dollars to participate. The submitters provided well researched scientific evidence that was not previously included in the application. However key concerns were judged �negligible�.
"The lack of necessary research protocols and experimental procedures over the ten years of the trials means that little knowledge of value will come out of the field tests," says Claire Bleakley from GE free NZ ( in food and environment). "We are ask anyone concerned to support and donate to this challenge."
ENDS:
Claire Bleakley 027 348 6731 (06) 3089842
Jon Carapiet: 021 050 7681
References:
www.gefree.org.nz for information behind this decision. |
