NZ doesn’t need dirty sweet corn

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Following the latest GE seed border incursion, the Soil and Health Association of New Zealand is once again calling for a stop to imports of sweet corn and maize seed, until absolute certainty of nil GE contamination is achieved.

‘Clean green New Zealand farmers deserve better protection by Biosecurity NZ, and those affected by dirty seed need fast assurance of fair compensation, just as the wider community needs assurance that the contaminated seed and young plants will be destroyed,’ said Soil & Health spokesperson Steffan Browning,

‘It is increasingly frustrating and disturbing having repeated border incursions of dirty seed. If some in MAF Biosecurity are letting their team and the rest of New Zealand down, and zero tolerance cannot be assured, then MAF must encourage further development of New Zealand’s own clean seed industry’.

‘Self sufficiency in clean seed can protect New Zealand’s clean green reputation as a GE Free producer’.

Prime Minister Helen Clark’s call for New Zealand to be the world’s first truly sustainable nation included the statement: “I want sustainability to be central to New Zealand’s unique national identity….”

‘Our unique national identity includes Nuclear Free and GE Free for most kiwis, and these repeated incursions tarnish that identity’, said Mr Browning.

‘Contrary to Dr William Rolleston of Life Sciences Network, who doesn’t mind a little contamination, the large majority of New Zealanders have consistently indicated they don’t want GE contaminated food or have GE crops grown.’

‘Organic growers and consumers who have sights on an Organic 2020 don’t need Life Sciences contaminated thinking. We want food and crops that our consumers and markets appreciate, not dirty low value commodities’.
Soil & Health is also concerned that possible dilution of contaminated parent lines of seed may be allowing intentional contamination into New Zealand.

Such concerns, according to Mr Browning, further fuel the need to develop New Zealand’s seed industry as part of a Clean Green, GE Free, Nuclear Free national identity.

Organic Farming Offsets Food Miles

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Organic farming offers solutions to the current food miles debate. Not only that, but it leads the way in low energy farming, and will help New Zealand reach its carbon neutral targets, according to the Soil & Health Association.

“Consumers are rightly becoming concerned about ‘food miles’, because the fossil fuel used in transporting food contributes to climate change through CO2 emissions,” says Soil and Health spokesperson, Steffan Browning. “However, New Zealand and overseas reports all show that organic production uses much less energy than conventional farming.”

Other bonuses are that organic production is the preferred consumer choice, it increases carbon sequestration and has much lower externalised environmental costs.

The Lincoln University report, Food Miles – Comparative Energy/Emissions Performance of New Zealand’s Agriculture Industry, by Saunders, Barber and Taylor, argues that with food miles, it is not just the distance that should be assessed but the total energy used, from production to plate, including transport.

The report, released in July, shows that New Zealand products use less energy, and have lower emissions per tonne of product delivered to the UK, than UK products do. It quotes a report by Defra (UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs): “…it can be more sustainable to import organic food into the UK than to grow non-organic food in the UK.”

The Lincoln report quotes Swedish research over 23 dairy farms, “…. these tests showed that the total energy use of organic dairy farms per unit of production was significantly less than each of the two conventional types of farms, …. A similar picture emerged for CO2 emissions.”

Soil & Health noted from the Lincoln report, that environmental costs of current farming systems when added to consumer prices are about 4 times that of the organic equivalent cost.

The Lincoln report also quoted a list of strategies for the consumer to avoid food miles when making purchases, provided by the UK Women’s Environmental Network. Their top five most ethical choices are (in order):

1. Organic, local and seasonal
2. Local
3. Fairtrade and organic
4. Organic
5. Fairtrade

The Soil & Health Association of NZ shares these principles as part of its Organic 2020 vision, but can see a place for sustainably produced organic goods from New Zealand being efficiently shipped to complement shortfalls in local British product.

While the Lincoln study did not consider carbon sequestration, American studies show that organic methods are far more effective than conventional methods at taking CO2 from the atmosphere and fixing it as beneficial organic matter in the soil. The 23-year Rodale Institute study calculated that if 10,000 mid sized U.S. farms converted to organic production, it would be equivalent to taking 1,174,400 cars off the road, or not driving 14.62 billion miles.

Former British Environment Minister Michael Meacher told a 2004 Soil Association conference in Edinburgh, that the government must boost organics to help Britain meet its Kyoto targets. He also highlighted the Rodale Institute research, which also found that soluble nitrogen fertilisers in conventional farming destroyed soil biota that trap greenhouse gases.

The Soil & Health Association of NZ sees continued government support for the organic sector as an important solution to food miles arguments, and to the Prime Minister’s aim of a truly sustainable New Zealand.

Brassica trial crazy

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Crop & Food’s intended GE Brassica field trial is even crazier than their existing GE onion trial, according to Soil & Health, and move in the opposite direction to the Prime Ministers sustainability vision.

Potential key drawbacks are:

1. Early resistance by pests
2. Fast spread of GE brassicas and interbreeding contamination
3. Contamination of GMO free crops
4. Loss of markets through contamination
5. Loss of markets through NZ’s Clean Green image loss
6. Human and animal health risks

The use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in genetically engineered crops has shown an early build of resistance in pest insects, resulting in the loss of a safe and important tool for many farmers.

Organic producers are able to use Bt and careful use has maintained its benefit without pest resistance. Organic and GMO free producers markets demand products free of GMO contamination.

The current use of Bt poses little risk to humans or stock as the toxin only occurs in the pest caterpillar’s gut.

GMO Bt poses risks as the toxin is in every cell of the GM crop including that eaten by consumers and also the pollen and roots.

Brassica pollen travels large distances, the seeds are small and brassicas cross easily, with hundreds of variants in existence. GMO brassicas will be one of the riskiest and dirtiest GMO crops possible.

The use of GMO crops flies in the face of Prime Minister Helen Clark’s vision of New Zealand being in the vanguard of sustainability, with New Zealand being the first truly sustainable nation, said Soil & Health spokesperson Steffan Browning.

A truly sustainable nation will have no part in GM crops or stock.

Crop & Food’s is a State Owned Enterprise whose persistence with experimenting with many vegetable and flower crops that are creeping into field trial applications is contrary to New Zealand’s Clean Green image.

Crop & Food are experimenting with a number of brassicas and also tomatoes, cucurbits, onions, asparagus, orchids, cyclamen, snapdragons, pelargoniums, violas and others in their laboratories. A lot more than most are aware of, according to Browning.

“It is time to stop these experiments if there is no serious expectation to grow in New Zealand. New Zealanders have clearly stated that GM crops are not wanted.”

PMs Sustainability Vision most important statement for some time

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The Soil & Health Association congratulates Prime Minister Helen Clark for the vision of New Zealand being the world’s first truly sustainable nation.

Yesterday at the Labour Party Conference the Prime Minister asked, “Why shouldn’t New Zealand aim to be the first country which is truly sustainable… I believe that sustainability will be a core value in 21st century social democracy…

* I want New Zealand to be in the vanguard of making it happen – for our own sakes, and for the sake of our planet.
* I want sustainability to be central to New Zealand’s unique national identity….”

“This is the most important and exciting statement for New Zealand’s future for some time from that level,” said Steffan Browning, Soil & Health spokesperson, “New Zealanders will welcome a vision of a truly clean green country.”

This significant vision fits with the Soil & Health vision of an Organic 2020, where by the year 2020 most of New Zealand’s production is certified organic and the remainder is in conversion to organic.

With milestones towards an Organic 2020 being difficult to achieve until recently, such vision from the Prime Minister is encouraging. It comes on the back of last year’s Government funding support for sector group Organics Aotearoa New Zealand, and the Green Party initiated funding for an Organics Advisory Service.

“Organic milestones will be more easily attained with a sustainability vision coming from the Prime Minister,” said Mr Browning.

“Organic production leads the way in sustainable methods of primary production, and a visionary Prime Minister will hopefully do all in her power to ensure the organic sector, as a vanguard of sustainability, can maintain its development into the future.”

Prime Minister Helen Clark finished, “Our country is special, and our people are special.” Soil & Health would add its motto ‘Healthy Soil, Healthy Food, Healthy People.”

Consumer Choice with Folic Acid

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Never before have New Zealanders’ been subject to mandatory fortification of their food. Never before have New Zealand’s organic bakers been faced with having to add synthetic additives to their bread. Organic products must have an exemption from mandatory fortification.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) have decided to mandatory fortify bread with folic acid and are expected to make a similar decision for iodine. Both are outside organic consumer expectations.

Food Safety Minister Annette King, meeting with fellow Australian Ministers, can either agree with the decision at the Food Standards Ministerial Council meeting in Canberra, October 25, or seek a review of the decision.

Soil & Health, and the organic bakers and flour millers listed below, call on the Hon. Annette King to allow New Zealand consumers an organic choice.

The Soil & Health Association of New Zealand Inc is 65 years old, and is the largest membership organisation supporting organic food and farming in New Zealand, and as such advocates for a healthy natural diet derived from food produced organically and free from additives.

Organic bakers, farmers and millers using natural growing, and baking techniques and ingredients seek an exemption from mandatory fortification of bread with folic acid and iodine.

Organic bakers do not use synthetic additives, and such additives are completely against the principles of organic production.

Small mills will have difficulty in equipping for fortification and this would be a barrier to fair trade. Some mills may have to close down.

Organic bakers take pride in the natural quality of their products.

Organic consumers seek out organic products because of the way they are produced and the absence of synthetic ingredients. Many organic breads are whole grain, maintaining natural folate.

Organic consumers are most often health conscious and many use specific dietary items to address known nutritional gaps.

The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) decision for mandatory fortification with folic acid and the proposal to fortify with either potassium/sodium iodate/iodide is without precedent in New Zealand. No other fortification of food has ever been mandatory in New Zealand.

Consumers have indicated in surveys that they do not want mandatory fortification. In a New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) 2005 study, 84% thought mandatory fortification should not apply. Over 75% of the study group emphasised consumer choice is very important.

The only consumer choice granted by FSANZ is unleavened breads and unfortified flour. This is not really choice for most consumers.

An exemption for organic bread will give all consumers a choice of a fortification free product while still accessing a healthy option.

 

Organic Bakers

* Purebread – Robert Glensor Ph 04 902 9686, 0274 575 964
* Breadman – Steffen Klink Ph 03 365 0990
* Venerdi – Phil Ph 09 813 5481
* Helios Bakery – Matthias Kroeger Ph 09 372 8382
* Dovedale – Greg Ph 03 539 1167
* Essene Bread – Colin Thomson Ph 09 835 1223
* Watermill Bakery – Bolli Bolliger Ph 06 370 1129
* Quake Bake – Robert Hass Ph 06 833 6446

Organic Millers

* Millmore Downs – Ian & Gita Henderson Ph 03 314 3712
* Terrace Farm – Geoff & Ira Wilson Ph 03 302 8663
* NZ BioGrains – Harry & Mary Lowe Ph 03 308 7349

Below are examples of the options left for consumers who want to avoid mandatory fortification of all other bread with folic acid and iodine. The other alternative is to bake your own bread.