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December 19, 2002
In August this year the
Ministry of Agriculture and
Forestry (MAF) and the
Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA New Zealand)
responded to an incident where unapproved GM maize was grown in
New Zealand. Pacific Seeds Ltd notified MAF after routine
post-harvest testing showed the presence of GM maize in seed
produced in New Zealand on their behalf by contract growers at
Gisborne and Pukekohe. The company had tested the parent seed
before importing it into New Zealand in 2001, but the test did
not find any GM material. None of the maize seed was grown for
consumption and none of it entered the food chain.
MAF and ERMA New Zealand
responded promptly by securing the seeds, which Pacific Seeds
decided to incinerate. The sites where the maize was grown were
also cleared to ensure the removal of any residual seeds and
other material that may have been able to re-grow.
It is good practice to review the
management of incidents like this, to see whether improvements
can be made for the future. In this case the review was jointly
commissioned by MAF and ERMA New Zealand, and carried out by
Professor Don McGregor, an independent consultant. The final
report is now publicly available.
The recommendations in the report
cover the way that MAF and ERMA New Zealand work together,
planning for similar incidents that may occur in the future, and
changes to the legislative system to improve the clarity of how
to handle these situations. The operational recommendations are
constructive and positive. MAF and ERMA New Zealand are
currently working through the recommendations and aim to have
revised arrangements in place by early in 2003. Recommendations
for legislative change will be considered among the other
proposed legislative changes arising from the recommendations of
the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification.
MAF and ERMA New Zealand will
work together on implementing these recommendations during 2003,
taking account of any legislative changes agreed by the
government.
A
full copy of the report [pdf - 77kbytes] is available from
us and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's website
www.maf.govt.nz/gmseeds.
MAF Biosecurity and ERMA New Zealand response to the
recommendations of the McGregor report.
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