The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) and all importers of wheat products from the USA must act upon the report that unapproved experimental herbicide resistant GE wheat has been found in Oregon fields.[1] An immediate embargo must be placed on all wheat imports from the US and sent for testing and destroyed if any unauthorised GE presence is found.
Japanese authorities have canceled a US wheat order, other major wheat importers South Korea, China and the Philippines are also monitoring the situation.
It is as yet unknown what type of Monsanto Round Up resistant Engineered wheat has been found to contaminate the wheat fields. However reports say it was developed ten years ago. This wheat has never been given approval for commercial release.
�Monsanto has assured the people it is safe to eat yet they have no evidence to back up their claims as there has been no safety testing or diagnostic tools to track any problems that might be associated with eating this wheat� said Claire Bleakley, president of GE Free NZ
�We were told that Monsanto�s 2,4,5-T, PCB�s, DDT were safe and look at those devastating problems. They have told so many lies and covered up so many dangers with their products, it is impossible to believe what they say anymore�.
Professor Jack Heinemann of the University of Canterbury, NZ, and Associate Professor Judy Carman, biochemist at Flinders University have released an expert report evaluating the risks associated with the use of RNA molecules in Australia CSIRO's genetically engineered wheat, which could have similar traits to the Monsanto unapproved variety. Their report identifies serious liver problems potentially linked to the type of genetic engineering used. The GE wheat contains a genetic code that is almost identical to the human equivalent, which is not killed in cooking or digestion. This has the potential to transfer into the human cell thereby affecting the health of those who eat it. [2]
�The MPI must act immediately, the public are not guinea pigs. This wheat is not approved; has gone through no safety testing and now �accidentally escaped in to the food chain� said Claire Bleakley president of GE Free NZ �Monsanto cannot hide behind the veil of accidental contamination. Their GE tentacles are so strangulating that democracy is being destroyed just to escape regulatory scrutiny".
New Zealand wheat ordered from the US must be immediately cancelled and if there are shipments in the ports they be immediately embargoed and quarantined for testing if any unapproved GE presence is found the wheat be immediately destroyed.
References:
[1] Non-Approved Genetically Modified Wheat Found In Oregon Field, Says USDA by Mary Clare Jalonick, 29.05.2013 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/29/non-approved-genetically-modified-wheat-usda_n_3354275.html?ref=topbar
[2] Heinemann J., Agapito-Tenfen S.Z & Carman J (2013 A comparative evaluation of the regulation of GM crops or products containing dsRNA and suggested improvements to risk assessments. Environment International. Volume 55, p.43�55 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412013000494#af0010
[3] US Wheat imports must be tested for unapproved GE contamination www.gefree.org.nz
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Claire Bleakley 06 3089842 / 027 3486731 |
