GE potatoes set to sneak into our food
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GE potatoes set to sneak into our food

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…

GE-Free Zones partially protected in RMA amendments
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GE-Free Zones partially protected in RMA amendments

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…

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

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…

Court ruling highlights the dangers of RMA reforms
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Court ruling highlights the dangers of RMA reforms

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…

GE Free from the Bombays to Cape Reinga
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GE Free from the Bombays to Cape Reinga

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…

GMO COURT RULING PROTECTS ENTIRE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
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GMO COURT RULING PROTECTS ENTIRE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

New Zealand’s biotech industry is not under threat as a result of a High Court ruling upholding an Environment Court’s decision to give regional councils control over use and release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their district, says the Soil and Health Association. The High Court ruling on Wednesday was based on an appeal…

High Court ruling on GE a win for democracy
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High Court ruling on GE a win for democracy

The High Court has today upheld the ruling that regional councils do have the right to decide on the provisions, policies, and rules regarding the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their region.   The Soil & Health Association (Soil & Health) celebrates this landmark decision as a win not only in the fight…

Auckland to stay GE Free under new Unitary Plan
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Auckland to stay GE Free under new Unitary Plan

The Soil & Health Association congratulates Auckland Council on its decision to retain the valuable precautionary and prohibitive genetically modified organisms (GMOs) provisions in the new Auckland Unitary Plan, which protect the Auckland region’s GE-free status. Auckland Council is now the second local authority in New Zealand to officially become GE-Free in its local plan,…

Councils and communities – a collaborative response to GE risks
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Councils and communities – a collaborative response to GE risks

  Whangarei and Far North District Councils received strong support from the community for their proposals to protect their territories from GM releases this week.   The Soil & Health Association of NZ and GE Free Northland led a group of 14 submitters, presenting their case at a joint hearing on Whangarei District Council and…

Together we can keep Aotearoa GE-free!
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Together we can keep Aotearoa GE-free!

One of the world’s oldest organic organisations is now using crowdfunding to help keep New Zealand’s valuable GE-free status.   The Soil & Health Association of New Zealand, founded in 1941, has just launched a Givealittle page to appeal for donations from a wide range of Kiwis who want a clean, green, GE-free Aotearoa.  …

GE animal experiments: expensive, unethical failures
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GE animal experiments: expensive, unethical failures

Experiments to genetically engineer animals in New Zealand over the past 15 years have proven to be expensive and unethical failures, says the Soil & Health Association, and must be stopped. Soil & Health commends GE Free NZ’s report ‘GE Animals in New Zealand’ for providing a clear overview of animal genetic engineering research in…

Celebrating NZ’s first official GE-free food producing region
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Celebrating NZ’s first official GE-free food producing region

Hastings District Council’s decision to ban GE in their district is welcome news, says the Soil & Health Association. The just-released Hastings District Plan prohibits the release and field trialling of genetically engineered organisms, creating the first official GE-free food-producing region in New Zealand, and joining a number of regions around the world.1   “With…

Maize spill shows risks of GE seed escape
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Maize spill shows risks of GE seed escape

New Zealand’s valuable GE-free status is under threat from biosecurity breaches, says the Soil & Health Association. Two spills in New Plymouth last week of maize imported from the USA show how it’s possible for genetically engineered seed to escape containment – and potentially grow.   “Well over 80% of maize grown in the US…

Our democratic right to be GE-free
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Our democratic right to be GE-free

Media release from the Soil & Health Association and GE Free Northland One of the most important Environment Court decisions this year is the finding that councils can control the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) under the Resource Management Act. New Zealand’s oldest organic organisation, the Soil & Health Association, along with GE Free…

GE or not GE? A victory for democracy
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GE or not GE? A victory for democracy

New Zealanders can take heart that it is now confirmed that regional councils have the right to make planning decisions about the outdoor use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their regions. Environment Court Judge Newhook determined yesterday that there is jurisdiction under the Resource Management Act for regional councils to make provision for GMOs…

Can we keep local control over GE?
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Can we keep local control over GE?

Genetic engineering is again in the spotlight as the Soil & Health Association of NZ and GE Free Northland lead a group of interested parties in support of Whangarei District Council and Northland Regional Council in the Environment Court this Friday. Federated Farmers of NZ lodged an appeal with the Environment Court, opposing precautionary provisions…

Will new farming leader jeopardise NZ’s GE-free advantage?
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Will new farming leader jeopardise NZ’s GE-free advantage?

The recent election of William Rolleston as president of Federated Farmers could mean a push towards genetic engineering (GE) in farming, warns the Soil & Health Association. Dr Rolleston has for many years been a proponent of GE, and some farmers, both organic and conventional, fear he may use his position to continue to promote…

Court decision empowers local body protection against GMO risks
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Court decision empowers local body protection against GMO risks

As people around New Zealand are preparing submissions to their local authorities, the Soil & Health Association is pleased that a recent Environment Court decision sets a precedent which empowers local bodies to protect their communities from the risks of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The Environment Court decision in December 2013[1] allowed the Bay of…