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Free New Zealand in Food & Environment, 28th
March 2006
NZ speaking with a forked
tongue over Terminator
The decision at The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
to fully support continuing a moratorium on Terminator Technology
is to be congratulated.
But New Zealand's support for the consensus, given in a press
release by the Minister for the Environment (below) is undermined
by ongoing official denial that the de-facto moratorium on Terminator
established in 2000 even exists.
'New Zealand's government must stop speaking with a forked tongue,
and come out in support of the de facto moratorium", says
Jon Carapiet from GE Free NZ in food and environment."
If we do not support the moratorium we will be seen by the the
world as deliberately undermining it."
A paper from the New Zealand government to the CBD meeting confirmed
that the New Zealand delegation was pushing a “case by
case” stand as a means to move to field trials of Terminator,
casting doubt on whether New Zealand is keeping faith with the
world community.
"New Zealand's stand shows just how weak policy- advice,
ERMA and the HSNO legislation are in genuinely protecting tangata
whenua, the environment, and reflecting New Zealander's shared
community values," says Claire Bleakley. "In the developing
world there are even fewer protections from commercialised Terminator
technology and that is why the moratorium is so important."
Despite the clear threat from Terminator seeds to food security
and sustainability, and the Minister for the Environment saying
he refused to support genetic technologies which would disadvantage
subsistence farmers, New Zealand delegates at the CBD meeting
went right along to do just the opposite.
"What would happen to an economy if farmers and local seed
companies we were no longer able to produce and save traditional
seeds due to patents, contamination from GMO's or sterile seeds?
Sovereignty over seed and food production would collapse,"
says Claire Bleakley.
"Terminator is a crime against humanity, and this government's
covert support for it is a sad day for the people of this country."
ENDS:
Claire Bleakley (06) 3089842
Jon Carapiet 0210 507 681
References:
Thumbs down from NZ to 'suicide seeds" - NZPA, Dompost,
Friday 24th March, A9
Latest Updates on COP8: http://www.banterminator.org/news_updates/cop8_latest_updates/english/
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