Mutant Sheep Are Still On

The Government has finally announced the details of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into genetic engineering. It does not include a moratorium on new field trials as the Greens had insisted. The question is, have we been screwed?

The answer, like so many things in politics, is yes and no.

The Green Party have been at the front line of public concern over genetic engineering for a number of years now. Our opposition to genetic engineering was militant, public and vocal. When the WildGreens destroyed the now famous potato crop at Lincoln University, genetic engineering was largely a sleeping issue. After that action it was anything but.

Before the election Green co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons toured the country talking to large public meetings about the risks associated with genetic engineering and collected 92,000 signatures on a petition calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry and a moratorium on commercial release and field trials. The Alliance supported this call, with now Associate Environment Minister, Phillida Bunkle, putting in a hasty private members bill that was quashed by Labour.

The widespread public anger, once people began to realise what was actually going on with genetic engineering in this country, made it clear this issue was not going away. Labour, divided and largely ignorant of the issue, eventually stated that they would establish a Royal Commission on genetic engineering if elected. They have finally done so this week with the terms of reference of the inquiry and the membership of the Royal Commission being announced.

The Greens have worked hard behind the scenes on the Royal Commission and are satisfied that our recommendations for the terms of reference have been accepted by the Government and that the members of the panel are suitable.

However the Government has also announced that although genetically engineered crops will not be allowed out of containment, a range of new field trials will continue to be approved. This is a major disappointment to the Greens. Despite the Government’s wording there is no real moratorium on field trials.

This means that the experiments in the Waikato involving inserting human genes into sheep and cattle will continue, providing they meet some containment provisions. It also means that Crown Research Institutes, funded by taxpayer dollars, will more than likely continue to apply for – and receive – permission for a range of new experiments while the Royal Commission deliberates.

The science community has lobbied hard against a full moratorium on field trials, as has the Dairy Board which has set aside $150 million for an extensive programme of genetic engineering research. But refusing to halt genetic engineering experiments – some of which are extremely controversial – while a comprehensive inquiry investigates the ethics, the risks and the desirability of the technology in this country is a contradiction. It preempts the inquiry.

Despite their determination in opposition, the Alliance have changed their policy and are now prepared to support this watered down version. The Greens are not.

We are determined to challenge the Government on the lack of a meaningful moratorium. Two weeks ago Jeanette Fitzsimons entered a private members bill into the ballot system to try to legislate for a genuine moratorium. We will ask questions in the House. However our hands are tied because the ‘moratorium’ is set up by voluntary agreement not legislation and so we do not get a chance to vote on it.

But while we are unhappy with the lack of a moratorium, of more lasting importance is the terms of reference for the Inquiry and its membership. Jeanette Fitzsimons has been working hard with the Minister for the Environment on these questions. Without the input of the Greens it is likely that the Royal Commission would have been weak, unrepresentative and with too narrow a focus to have been of much use at all.

As it stands, the Inquiry will be a comprehensive review of the ethical, long term safety and strategic economic issues surrounding genetic engineering. It will consult widely with the public to allow the people of this country to decide. It is vital that people take the opportunity to have their say.

It will look at the effects on health, ecology and farming, as well as the values of New Zealanders.

The choice we face is one of unprecedented importance. It is also a rare and one-off opportunity, and it is one we have to get right. We cannot afford to make a mistake as there are no second chances with genetic engineering.

Do we want to dominate nature and try and live for ever? Do we want to remove the diseases that are caused by our unhealthy consumption and environment? Do we want to force nature to produce unnatural products and yields in an attempt to sustain our unsustainable lifestyles? Do we want to fundamentally alter life itself?

Or do we want to again strive for a natural world with a natural balance between all species?

These are the question the Royal Commission of Inquiry must address. New Zealand has the opportunity to lead the world and stand up as the protector of natural and healthy relationships with the world and all species of plants and animals that share it with us.

The pro-genetic engineering lobby, though a tiny minority, will make sure their views are strongly presented to this Royal Commission. It is vital that ordinary New Zealanders also have their say. The decision we collectively make will be on behalf of all future generations. We must get it right.