Organic farmer new chair of Soil & Health

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8 August 2017

A fourth-generation farmer has been selected as the new chair of the Soil & Health Association, following its AGM. Until 2014 Graham Clarke was a sheep and beef farmer for over 30 years in South Otago at Marama Farm, which was certified organic by BioGro for close to 10 years. “I’m passionate about sustainable food production and see organic food as being essential to getting better quality nutrition to New Zealanders,” says Graham Clarke.

Mr Clarke, who was first elected onto the National Council of Soil & Health in July 2016, brings experience and enthusiasm for organics to the council table. He has had governance experience with Federated Farmers, the Beef Council and the Animal Health Board.

“I have now chosen to serve Soil & Health in the hope that this can mean more farmers can be supported to grow great nutrition for New Zealanders, and more people can achieve good health through their food. Organics needs to go mainstream,” said Mr Clarke.

Having experienced huge health improvements himself through eating well, Mr Clarke is now a certified Integrative Nutrition health coach and helps people improve their health and their lives through what they eat and other lifestyle choices. In his spare time, he leads a team of caregivers who look after a young man with disabilities caused by a car accident, with nutrition one of the key planks in his greatly improved health.

Graham Clarke paid tribute to outgoing chair Marion Thomson: “Marion has dedicated a huge amount of energy to Soil & Health for many years, particularly championing the rights of communities to control or ban GE in their areas, via several court cases. The Association is lucky to have her stay on as a member of the National Council and continue our important work,” said Mr Clarke.

“Times are changing locally and globally and the weight of evidence concerning the challenges of many of the current farming methods and the consequences of some of them continues to grow. This is both a health and environmental concern. Soil & Health is aiming for a fully organic New Zealand to address these concerns.”

 

Contact: Graham Clarke
Chair, Soil & Health Association
027 226 3103

Health not herbicides: time to phase out glyphosate

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Our public agencies must protect human health and ecosystems, and use rigorous independent science rather than industry data, says the Soil & Health Association. Soil & Health welcomes the release of a paper by the Green Party that exposes many flaws in an Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) report on glyphosate-based herbicides (such as Roundup).

The EPA commissioned a report last year that found glyphosate to be safe and unlikely to be carcinogenic.   Only months before, the world-leading authority International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) determined that glyphosate was a ‘probable carcinogen’.

The paper released by the Green Party last week revealed that the EPA’s conclusion was based on flawed science and data provided by industry. The paper dispels the so-called safety claims made by the EPA and highlights the urgent need to reassess the authorisation of products like Roundup that contain glyphosate.

“Many countries have banned the use of glyphosate due to its toxicity,” says Soil & Health chair Graham Clarke, who is a fourth generation farmer. “Even exposure to very low doses, below the risk analysis guidelines, creates a very real risk to human health. This paper raises serious concerns about the adequacy and quality of the EPA’s hazardous substances assessments.”

“Roundup in particular has been a cornerstone of chemical agriculture in New Zealand for decades but as each day goes by new compelling evidence emerges showing the downside of this product,” says Clarke.

“Soil & Health congratulates organic farmers, home gardeners and others who are using safe and effective ways to grow food and to control weeds, with no need for harmful herbicides. We’d like to see more government support for research into non-chemical alternatives to glyphosate as demonstrably the high chemical input system is not serving anyone in New Zealand well except the marketers of said products.”

Glyphosate is sprayed on numerous crops, including about 80% of genetically engineered crops that are bred to be tolerant to the herbicide. It is also used in New Zealand and overseas as a pre-harvest desiccant, so crops such as wheat are uniform at harvest time, and to make crops like potatoes easier to harvest. Residues of glyphosate (or its metabolites) are likely to be in many foods that Kiwis are eating every day, with the notable exception of organic foods. Buying certified organic foods is the best consumer guarantee to avoid residues of harmful chemicals such as glyphosate. The herbicide is also widely used in home gardens and public places including roadsides, parks and playgrounds.

“By deeming glyphosate safe and allowing for its widespread sale and use in New Zealand we believe the EPA has failed in their statutory obligation to protect the health and safety of people and communities, by preventing or managing the adverse effects of hazardous substances,” says Clarke.

Soil & Health believes that glyphosate should be phased out immediately.

“The use of glyphosate in public places, home gardens and for pre-harvest desiccation should cease immediately as these are the routes that expose most people to glyphosate. Other uses should be restricted and phased out as soon as possible,” says Clarke.

 

Links

Soil & Health’s policy on pesticides:

https://soilandhealth.org.nz/policies/pesticides/

Green Party paper:

https://www.greens.org.nz/sites/default/files/Published%20Paper%20-%20Why%20did%20the%20NZ%20EPA%20ignore%20the%20World%20Authority%20on%20Cancer%20-%20July%202017.pdf

IARC report:

http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/MonographVolume112.pdf

EPA report:

http://www.epa.govt.nz/Publications/EPA_glyphosate_review.pdf

GE free

GE potatoes set to sneak into our food

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The Soil & Health Association has serious concerns about another GE food line being approved in New Zealand – this time for six food lines derived from potatoes.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), the organisation that controls food approvals for New Zealand and Australia, is calling for submissions on an application to permit GE potatoes for human consumption. The potatoes have been genetically engineered to reduce bruising, to reduce acrylamide formed during cooking, and to protect the potatoes from a type of blight.

Soil & Health is concerned about the growing number of genetically engineered foods approved for sale in New Zealand and the long-term and cumulative health effects of consuming them. While New Zealand does not grow any GE crops or animals, there are many imported GE ingredients in food for sale here.

“Since 2000 FSANZ has approved every single application for GE food lines, and there are now a staggering 71 different GE food lines approved for sale in New Zealand,” says Soil & Health chair Marion Thomson.

“An estimated 70% or more of processed non-organic foods for sale in New Zealand contain genetically engineered ingredients, but consumers have no idea because our labelling laws mean that almost all GE ingredients don’t have to be listed on the packaging.”

“In addition to human food, New Zealand imports large quantities of animal feed that is almost certainly genetically engineered, but again, not labelled as such,” says Marion Thomson.

While a FSANZ safety assessment on the GE potato application has not identified any public health and safety issues, previous FSANZ assessments have been shown to be incomplete, with an absence of biological studies on the impacts of the foods when eaten. Further, assessments have largely been reliant on industry assurances of safety, with no independent science to back up industry assertions.

“One of the main concerns about eating GE foods is that many have been grown with dangerous levels of pesticides,” says Thomson. “Many GE crops are designed to be resistant to pesticides. These crops are designated ‘safe’ for human consumption by FSANZ and the Ministry for Primary Industries, despite not having undergone adequate safety tests independent of the companies developing them.”

The best way to avoid consuming GE foods is to grow, buy and eat certified organic food, says Soil & Health.

The GE potatoes application is open for public submission until 7 July 2017.

Nitrogen fertiliser: the elephant in the room

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High nitrate levels recently measured in the Tasman’s Waimea Plains signal yet another alarm bell for the health of our waterways, and the urgent need to reduce or eliminate the use of soluble nitrogen fertilisers, says the Soil & Health Association.

“Fencing off waterways and riparian planting is all well and good, but it’s not enough on its own to reduce the nitrogen leaching through soils to groundwater. We need to stop the problem at its source, namely the soluble nitrogen fertilisers being used by many farmers. It’s the elephant in the room,” says Marion Thomson, chair of the Soil & Health Association.

“The introduction of a resource consent for fertiliser use is a step in the right direction, but what is ultimately required is a transition to more sustainable methods of farming and cropping that do not rely on soluble nitrogen fertiliser applications,” says Thomson.

“We applaud the Freshwater Rescue Plan launched last week, and would like to see taxpayer money diverted from the Government’s irrigation fund put towards helping farmers transition towards high-value, climate-friendly organic and sustainable farming practices.”

“Healthier fresh water is achievable by shifting to organic and biological fertilising regimes and it’s heartening to see increasing numbers of farmers adopting these sustainable practices. Organic farming methods improve the soil biology and soil structure, which means better water retention and less nutrient leaching. Organic and biological farmers also make use of natural fertilisers, instead of soluble nitrogen fertilisers that are more prone to leaching.”

The soil is not a lifeless medium to pour nutrients into, according to Soil & Health. Organic farming encourages healthy living soils teeming with a biodiversity of species that all play their part in the ecosystem and the food chain, helping to make nutrients available to plants and animals.

Demand for organic food is growing exponentially as consumers seek out produce that is residue-free, tasty, nutritious and better for the environment and waterways.

https://www.freshwaterrescueplan.org

Take off the blindfold and eat!

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Kiwis want to take off the blindfold we have when it comes to buying food. That’s the message of the Soil & Health Association, which welcomes the Consumers’ Right to Know (Labelling of Country of Origin of Food) Bill currently before a parliamentary select committee. The Bill requires all single component foods, packaged and unpackaged, to display their country of origin.

Soil & Health has been campaigning for mandatory country of origin labelling for over a decade, since the government opted out of joining Australia in mandating country of origin labelling under the Food Standards Code on the grounds it would be an impediment to trade. With the exception of wine, country of origin labelling is only voluntary in New Zealand.

“All of New Zealand’s major trading partner countries have country of origin labelling including Australia, the US, the UK, countries in Europe and many Asian countries,”  says Karen Summerhays, spokesperson for Soil & Health.

“While footwear and clothing is required to identify where it comes from, food isn’t. This bill aims to extend that requirement to fresh fruit, meat, fish and vegetables, and other single component foods such as grains, nuts, bulk flour and oil.”

“It’s becoming more common that New Zealanders are wanting to avoid genetically engineered food, food with pesticide residues, or food coming from countries with poor labour conditions, poor environmental and animal welfare standards, but cannot easily choose to avoid products from those countries when shopping here.”

“Pesticide residues in imported food and the health effects of them are an urgent consumer and health issue. Although good labelling exists in some supermarkets, voluntary labelling is often either not working or is poorly utilised, and is definitely not enforceable under the law.”

“Consumers must be able to make their own, informed food choices. Mandatory country of origin labelling is a step towards allowing consumers to do this,” says Summerhays.

There has been widespread support in New Zealand for country of origin labelling. A recent survey conducted by Consumer NZ and Horticulture NZ found that 71% of Kiwis want mandatory country of origin labelling and 65% said they looked for country of origin labelling when they were shopping.

The submission period for the Bill closes this Thursday the 18th of May at 5pm.

Soil & Health is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and advocates for the consumer’s right to have fresh, healthy, organic food free of GE, pesticides and additives, and the right to know what is in their food and water.

Contact:  Karen Summerhays
Spokesperson, Soil & Health Association
021 043 7858

Food Sovereignty policy

GE-Free Zones partially protected in RMA amendments

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5th April 2017

The Soil & Health Association welcomes a change to the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill regarding genetic engineering, but says it still does not go far enough.

Yesterday the controversial RLA Bill passed the committee stage, meaning that amendments can no longer be made to the Bill. The Bill is now expected to have its third and final reading on Thursday.

However the controversial section 360D – known as ‘the dictator’ clause – has not been removed from the final version of the RLA Bill. This clause allows the Minister for the Environment to bypass parliament and make fundamental changes to the law if he deems council plans duplicate or deal with the same subject matter as central Government laws. Instead section 360D now contains an exemption that prevents the minister from imposing GM crops on regions that want their territorites to remain GM Free.

“We are pleased that the Maori Party has stood strong on their promises not to support the changes that would have allowed the Minister to strike out GE-free zones. We commend the Maori Party for this,” says Soil & Health chair Marion Thomson.

While section 360D is still in the final version of the Bill, the exemption means that the Minister cannot strike out GE-free zones.

“The word ‘crop’ has a wide definition and we understand that the Maori Party secured the amendment on the basis that the term also covers grasses and forestry, while the term ‘growing’ could also cover field trials and releases,” says Thomson.

Of concern for Soil & Health however is that the exemption does not apply to animals, meaning the Minister could override local authorities on any decisions about GE animals if he chose to.

“We have been kept on the edge of our seats through this long process and have had to keep faith in the Maori Party that they would do the right thing and not support the amendments that would abolish GM-free zones,” says Thomson.

“Ultimately we are happy with this result, while animals are not covered, GM grasses, forestry, field trials and releases are.”

 

Contact:  Karen Summerhays
Spokesperson, Soil & Health Association
021 043 7858

GE Free Field NZ

Maori Party says no way to Nick Smith’s power grab

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The Soil & Health Association congratulates the Maori Party for standing up for New Zealanders who want to live in a GE-Free community and saying no to Nick Smith’s attempt to ride roughshod over local democracy.
“Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox has told the Environment Minister they will not support his attempts to regulate genetically modified crops nationally through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” says Soil & Health Association spokesperson Karen Summerhays.
“This spells the end for Nick Smith’s attempts to control what is grown in New Zealander’s neighbourhoods and available at their local markets.
“Local Authorities won the right to regulate the planting of genetically modified crops in their territories after years of legal battles over whether they could introduce GMO-Free zones through district plan rules.
“By standing up to Nick Smith, the Maori Party has protected this hard-fought democratic right. The Government doesn’t have the numbers to make this change without their support.
“The Environment Minister insists that genetic modification should be regulated on a national level by the EPA under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act, not under the Resource Management Act. Nick Smith’s view has now been found wrong by both the Environment Court and the High Court.
“Clause 360D of the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill – also known as the ‘dictator clause’ – would have allowed the Government to step in if it deemed council plans duplicated central Government laws.
“Soil & Health would like a sub clause introduced to the Bill prohibiting this power being used in relation to council plans which contain a GMO-free zone.
“Otherwise local food producers – and economies – face being hit in the pocket when they lose the lucrative advantage of being able to market their products “GE-Free” alongside those from the world’s premier GE-Free territories; Tuscany, Provence and Burgundy.
“It’s time for Nick Smith to concede defeat and acknowledge that communities should continue to decide whether GMO crops are grown in their districts,” Karen Summerhays says.

Contact – Soil & Health spokesperson Karen Summerhays on 021 043 7858
GE Free Field NZ

Court ruling highlights the dangers of RMA reforms

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A new court ruling highlights how the Government’s RMA reforms will ride roughshod over public participation in resource management and the power of councils to regulate the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) within their territories, says Soil & Health Association chair Marion Thomson.
On Friday the High Court rejected Federated Farmers’ bid to oppose court costs for its failed challenge to members of the public and councils that seek to manage the outdoor use of GMOs under RMA plans. Costs have now been awarded against Federated Farmers for a second time.
“Not only has Federated Farmers now been ordered to pay court costs of more than $10,000 to the Whangarei District Council and the Soil & Health Association, but the High Court found it was not acting in the public interest.
“In fact Justice Peters noted Federated Farmers ‘brought these proceedings because it was in its members’ interest to do so’.
“The National-led Government’s Resource Legislation Amendment Bill will jeopardise local authorities’ ability to manage GMO land use by giving the Environment Minister new powers to override council planning rules.
“These reforms threaten the economic sustainability of a wide range of agricultural export activities reliant on GMO-free status, and would override the ability of councils to respond to community concerns about the planting of GMO crops in their area.
“Friday’s ruling further entrenches the legal rights of councils and communities.
“Environment Minister Nick Smith believes genetic modification should be regulated on a national level by the Environmental Protection Authority under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO), not under the Resource Management Act.
“He is no doubt under pressure from Federated Farmers who choose to ignore the fact that while HSNO controls the introduction of new organisms (including GMOs), it is the RMA which oversees the environment new organisms are introduced into.
“Nick Smith is being mischievous in suggesting the management of genetically modified organisms under the RMA will stop access to the development of GMO medicines. He conveniently overlooks the fact that GMO veterinary vaccines are already permitted under the Auckland Unitary Plan.
“The Minister’s claims that GMOs were only ever intended to be regulated under HSNO have now been found to be wrong by both the Environment Court and High Court.
“Nick Smith must protect the ability of councils to act in the best interests of their ratepayers and local producers by amending his Bill to explicitly exclude using these new powers to regulate the release of GMOs.
“There are huge uncertainties around the adverse effects of GMOs on natural resources and ecosystems. The risks are large and consequences irreversible.
“If GMOs were to be released into the environment, they would be very difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate. There is also potential for serious economic loss to regions marketing their products and tourism under New Zealand’s ‘clean green’ brand,” Marion Thomson says.

Comprehensive New Review of Monsanto’s Glyphosate Underscores Urgent Need for Global Action

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In a “state of the science” review released today, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) International presents a large body of research documenting the adverse human health and environmental impacts of glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides and underscores the need for these to be phased out globally. Environmental and health advocates say the monograph on the world’s most widely used herbicide, commonly known as Roundup, should serve as a wake up call for regulators, governments and users around the world.

Adverse human impacts detailed in the review include acute poisoning, kidney and liver damage, imbalances in the intestinal microbiome and intestinal functioning, cancer, genotoxicity, endocrine disruption, reproductive and developmental reduction, neurological damage, and immune system dysfunction.

Aggressive public relations and marketing by glyphosate’s developer, Monsanto, has resulted in the widespread perception that the chemical is ‘safe’. Registration processes continue to allow its use without raising concerns about its safety even as new data identifying adverse effects emerge.

This review dispels the so-called safety claims and highlights the urgent need to re-examine the authorization of products containing glyphosate. A full chemical profile is presented, along with the regulatory status of products containing glyphosate in many countries and information on viable alternatives.

Glyphosate is included in PAN International’s “List of Highly Hazardous Pesticides” (1) targeted for global phaseout. The global network is calling for the herbicide to be replaced by agroecological approaches to weed management in diversified cropping systems and non-crop situations.

Glyphosate is currently sprayed on numerous crops and plantations, including about 80% of genetically engineered (GE) crops. It is also used as a pre-harvest desiccant, so crops such as wheat have a uniform moisture content at harvest time. This practice results in high glyphosate residues in foods. It is also widely used in home gardens and public places including roadsides, and semi-natural and natural habitats. Due to its widespread use, residues are now detected in different types of foods, drinking water, wine and beer; and even in non-food products derived from GM cotton. The extent of human exposure is confirmed by the presence of glyphosate in human urine wherever it has been tested, principally in Europe and North America. It has also been found in breast milk in the USA.

The 2015 classification by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen has resulted in widespread concern about its continued use, especially pre-harvest and in public places.

Some countries, including Sri Lanka, Italy and France have imposed a partial ban and/or phase out of the spraying of glyphosate in agriculture and in public areas. The European Union has extended approval for glyphosate for only 18 months instead of the usual 15 years.

Environmental impacts detailed in the monograph are no less concerning, and include adverse effects on ecosystem functioning, pollination services, biological controls, soil fertility and crop health. Residues are widespread in the environment, including in rainwater, surface and ground waters, and the marine environment. Glyphosate can persist in some soils for up to 3 years; and there is some evidence of bioaccumulation.

Resistance to glyphosate is now recorded in 35 weed species and in 27 countries, mostly caused by the repeated use of glyphosate in GE crops, no-till agriculture, and amenity use.

Soil & Health NZ Inc. past co-chair Dr Elvira Dommisse points out that, “the monograph also contains a useful section on alternative weed management and provides information on a wide variety of non-chemical approaches to weed management in various situations. These are people-friendly and environmentally-friendly, resulting in weed management that is benign or even beneficial to ecosystems. We can and should embrace such methods to preserve and restore our soils and waterways and to minimise health risks to human and animals.”

MEDIA CONTACT

Dr Meriel Watts

PAN New Zealand

+64-21-1807830; merielwatts@xtra.co.nz

Dr Elvira Dommisse

021 0575 123 elvira@clear.net.nz

References:

The full Monograph review can be accessed here:  https://pan-international.org/wp-content/uploads/Glyphosate-monograph.pdf 

Supporting document:

(1)  PAN International’s “List of Highly Hazardous Pesticides”

https://pan-international.org/wp-content/uploads/PAN_HHP_List.pdf

Quotes from PAN International representatives:

Keith Tyrell, Director, PAN-UK:

“This new study from PAN International’s team of scientists clearly shows that glyphosate can cause a multitude of health and environmental problems. Our regulators need to wake up and ban this chemical now.”

Dr Meriel Watts, PAN New Zealand:

“The time has come for global recognition of the widespread harm caused to people and the environment from the constant use of glyphosate. For too long regulators have ignored the mounting evidence of damage, hiding behind unpublished studies by Monsanto, which not surprisingly paint a picture of a benign chemical startlingly at odds with reality.”

Fernando Bejarano, PAN Mexico (RAPAM)

“The intrinsic hazards of glyphosate and their use in tolerant transgenic crops are unacceptable if we want to achieve a sustainable food system, so we need a global phase out and a shift in policies promoting instead agroecological alternatives for weed control and crop rotation in diversified crop systems.”

Dr. Peter Clausing, PAN Germany:

“In 2017 the European Chemicals Agency has to decide whether it accepts the compelling evidence for glyphosate’s carcinogenicity and declares it a carcinogen. This would be an overdue acknowledgement of the reality.”

Dr. Emily Marquez, staff scientist, PAN North America:

“The glyphosate mess illustrates the problems with industrial agriculture. Farmers are again trapped on a pesticide treadmill, as widespread adoption of Monsanto’s genetically engineered “Roundup-Ready” crops resulted in glyphosate-resistant superweeds. And yet again, human health impacts of the chemical come to light after years of widespread use. It’s time to shift away from this failing cycle of chemical reliance.”

Jayakumar Chelaton, PAN India

“Every month we get a new story of how glyphosate is harming people in the farms and off farms in rural India. It is clearly damaging people and planet.”

Sarojeni V. Rengam, PAN Asia and the Pacific

“Glyphosate is a highly hazardous pesticide. There are other ecosystem based non-chemical alternatives that do not require the use of such hazardous herbicides.  We therefore urge Monsanto and other agrochemical corporations to stop the production and marketing of glyphosate in order to ensure the health of people and the environment.”

Dr Angeliki Lyssimachou, PAN Europe

“This remarkable compilation of scientific studies reveals that glyphosate-based pesticides -despite what their manufactures’ claim- are far from ‘safe’. Hundreds of non-industry funded studies show that these products are gradually poisoning our people, our environment and its ecosystems. Regulators must stop playing blind and take action to ban all uses of glyphosate.”

GE Free from the Bombays to Cape Reinga

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GE Free Northland and the Soil & Health Association are celebrating the Far North and Whangarei District Councils’ decisions to retain precautionary and prohibitive genetically modified organisms (GMOs) provisions in their new District Plans.  This follows Auckland Council’s recent decision to retain similar precautionary and prohibitive GMO provisions in the new Unitary Plan.  The result of which is a GE Free northern peninsula from the Bombay Hills to Cape Reinga.

Whangarei District councilors voted unanimously last week to protect the community, local economy, and environment from the risks of outdoor uses of GMOs.  Their neighbours in the Far North voted a week earlier to introduce similar rules to their District Plan.

“These decisions, and our recent victory in the High Court, represent a huge win for Northland.  Our elected representatives are to be congratulated for their tenacity and commitment in supporting the aspirations of their constituents and protecting our biosecurity,” said Martin Robinson, spokesperson for GE Free Northland.

In June this year, GE Free Northland together with the Soil & Health Association gathered a panel of expert witnesses, mana whenua, and community representatives, to present evidence to the independent commissioners at the councils’ hearings on GMOs.  Both groups offered strong support for the District councils’ proposed precautionary approach to outdoor GE experiments, strict liability provisions, and outright ban on the release of GMOs.

“This is necessary because of serious deficiencies in the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO Act).  Government agencies have a poor track record in containing outdoor GE experiments, and the law has very limited liability provisions for damage” said Soil & Health Chair Marion Thomson.  “The GMO policies they have now adopted are a sophisticated, collaborative, and fiscally prudent response.”

For more than a decade the Far North District and Whangarei District Councils have worked with the Auckland and Northland Regional Councils to plot a path that works for farmers, the wider community, and the environment.  The councils’ decisions to adopt the independent commissioners’ recommendations help protect the Northland region’s GM Free status, biosecurity, economy, and environment by requiring additional local protections that are not required by the national regulator, the Environmental Protection Authority, under the HSNO Act, with an outright prohibition of release of GMOs.

“Environment Minister Nick Smith has tried to portray local bodies as anti-science and anti-progress.  His claims are untrue, unjustly attempting to denigrate the robust course that our councils have charted,” said GE Free Northland’s Chair Zelka Grammer.

Despite the minister’s statements, the global Non-GMO food market is currently valued at US$250 billion, and trends show this is only going to grow.  It is clear that New Zealand producers benefit from access to this huge non-GMO market.

Soil & Health and GE Free Northland combined represent more than 10,000 members and supporters, including primary producers and consumers, both organic and conventional, who want to avoid genetically modified organisms and products made from them.

CONTACT

Marty Robinson

Spokesperson, GE Free Northland

022 136 9619

Marion Thomson

Chair, Soil & Health Association

027 555 4015

Zelka Linda Grammer

Chair, GE Free Northland

022 309 5039