Local Community Should Have Say On GMOs - By Chris Leitch Our policy contains the following statement “We will legislate to give protection of the environment higher priority than economics. Human wellbeing and sound ecology, not the profit motive, will govern decisions. We favour long term benefits over short term financial returns.” Owing to the extent and the potential risks associated in the use and the release of GMOs in the environment we have concerns that GE will have far‐reaching and irreversible affects for the social, cultural, environmental and economic wellbeing of current and future generations. Outright prohibition of all GMO land use and GMO aquaculture is our preference, at least until such time as a strict liability regime is put in place and the risks of GMOs are adequately identified and addressed. Until these risks and potential effects are known, local councils should be able to prohibit the release of such organisms into their environment. Despite government reassuring the public over the strict, precautionary processes in place for genetic engineering, administered by the Environmental Protection Authority (formerly ERMA), we have little confidence in those processes given that government has previously simply bypassed them. The current minister, Amy Adams, has threatened to legislate to stop local communities, through their councils, from having a say. I support local communities having the right to determine their own position on the release of GMO’s in their area.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 20:08:47 +0000
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