Feds president attacks Hastings farmers’ GM-free policy
the claim it was "GM-free" because animal feed used in the region such as soya meal was genetically modified, and the council had allowed for the use of GM veterinary medicines.
A group of growers and farmers, campaigning under the Pure Hawke’s Bay banner, have persuaded the council to ban GM crops and animals under its district plan for 10 years.
"Tasmania has claimed itself GM-free but their products get no more premium than products grown in states with GM," Rolleston said.
If there was a drought this season, as forecasters are predicting with the advent of El Nino, farmers might need to feed their stock supplementary feed, such as soya or cottonseed meal, both of which were genetically modified.
"Is Hastings going to stop those products being fed to animals by farmers?" Rolleston asked.
He said the council had exempted veterinary vaccines from being GM-free. Although none were being used, under its rules they could be. There was already a GM vaccine in existence approved for use on horses.
Lawson said Rolleston had not understood the council’s decision, which applied only to field-grown crops. It was an acknowledgement that GM-crops and field trials posed risks to organic growers.
The one GM veterinary medicine was a horse vaccine to treat equine flu, which was unlikely to reach New Zealand.
Pure Hawke’s Bay said 21 regions in France and 16 in Italy were officially GM-free. South Australia and Tasmania have prohibited GM releases and in recent months Germany and Scotland have also announced that they will prohibit release of GM crops in their productive lands.
Hastings’ GM-free status is also threatened by the proposed National Environmental Standard for Plantation Forestry, drafted by the Ministry of Primary Industries.
It would mean that once the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) had approved a genetically-modified tree-type for planting, no council could prevent it from being planted in their areas.
Rolleston said councils would be bound to give effect to an EPA decision. "That means if there is an application for release of a GM tree, the council will not be able under law to keep it out of Hastings. They’ll have to change their district plan," he said.
Lawson agreed and said the ministry was "trying to shortcircuit" the process by proposing to introduce the standard.
At present most of his vehicles were covered in yellow pine pollen while fruit was in flower.
"If this was GE pollen then this could create an issue for us in the market place, of either perception of possible contamination or actual traceable contamination," Lawson said.
Rolleston welcomed a recent Court of Appeal decision in Australia where an organic farmer lost a bid to sue his neighbour after sheaves of GM canola blew onto his property, forfeiting his certification.
The court ruled farmers could not impose limitations on the operations of their neighbours.
"The court said that, just because someone had set up a sensitive operation, it didn’t obligate their neighbour to restrict their own practices in order to cater for it. The organics industry has restricted every other farmer from using safe and modern technology on their farms so that a few organic farmers can reach an unrealistic standard," Rolleston said.