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· HIGH COURT RULING ON GMOs SHOWS THAT COUNCILS OF AUCKLAND/NORTHLAND PENINSULA HA
(Jun 16, 2009)
· High Court ruling gives nod to ARC’s cautious take on GMOs
(Jun 16, 2009)
· HIGH COURT GE DECISION A VICTORY FOR NEW ZEALANDERS
(Jun 07, 2009)
· GM animal applications invalid – High Court appeal upheld
(Jun 07, 2009)
· Federated Farmers of NZ praise GM free grass
(Jun 05, 2009)
· LOCAL AUTHORITIES CONSULT RATEPAYERS ON GMO LAND USE
(Apr 09, 2009)
· GMO Views To Be Aired
(Apr 07, 2009)
· Stop acting like Muppets and cancel all GE trials
(Mar 12, 2009)
· FAR NORTH DISTRICT COUNCIL JOINS OTHER LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN REGIONAL SURVEY REGA
(Oct 09, 2008)
· FAR NORTH DISTRICT COUNCIL JOINS OTHER LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN REGIONAL SURVEY REG
(Oct 09, 2008)
· Far North Joins Regional Survey on GMOs
(Oct 07, 2008)
· Mayor backs ban on GMOs
(Sep 14, 2008)
· Report exposes Government inaction over GE
(Apr 17, 2008)
· Restore Moratorium: GE FailuresThreaten National Interest
(Apr 17, 2008)
· Proposed release of GE vaccine will be protested - Greens
(Mar 13, 2008)
· Demise of GE Sapling Trees.
(Jan 18, 2008)
· Credibility of Food Safety Regulation takes a Significant Hit
(Dec 29, 2007)
· Pamela Peters
(Oct 10, 2007)
· Simon Bliss
(Oct 10, 2007)
· Jimmy Daisley
(Oct 10, 2007)
· Warren Slater
(Oct 07, 2007)
· Vince Cocurullo
(Oct 07, 2007)
· Don Hedges
(Oct 07, 2007)
· Simon Vallings
(Oct 07, 2007)
· Stan Semenoff
(Oct 07, 2007)
· GE onus belongs with polluters, central Government
(Jul 31, 2007)
· LOCAL AUTHORITIES EXPOSE FLAWS IN THE HSNO ACT WHICH MEANS THAT RESPONSIBILITY F
(Jul 25, 2007)
· Responsiblity for GE clean ups would land on local government and local land own
(Jul 24, 2007)
· Former Crop & Food Scientist says GE Brassica field test approval lacked scrutin
(Jun 02, 2007)
· GE Brassica Approval Lacks Common Sense - But Nice Job For Some
(Jun 01, 2007)
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letters to editor:
email: northern.editor@snl.co.nz
NORTHERN NEWS (Far North newspaper)
www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/northland/local-news/northern-news/2863435/Survey-findings-will-shape-GMO-policy
Survey findings will shape GMO policy
By RICHARD EDMONDSON - Northern News
16 September 2009
Whether or not Northlanders support local control of genetically modified organisms in the environment should be known early next month.
An Inter-council Working group that has been evaluating the risks of GMO land uses says councils will have the results of last month’s Colmar Brunton telephone poll by the end of the month.
Working group chairman Dr Kerry Grundy says 400 people were surveyed in each district represented by the group, including the Far North.
"They were asked if they supported regulation at the local level in addition to national regulation and what form of regulation they would prefer," he says.
It will be up to the seven Northland and Auckland councils that comprise the working group to decide how to use the poll results.
"At some point in the not-too-distant-future, councils will have to decide what their stance is from this point on."
Options include:
•Not regulating genetically modified crops or livestock which are controlled by the Environmental Risk Management Authority – ERMA
•Banning or requiring resource consents for some or all genetically-modified crops or livestock
•Requiring people who grow or farm these to post a bond to cover damages if they become invasive or contaminate non-genetically-modified crops.
Meantime, GE-Free Northland has accused the Northland Regional Council of weakening its precautionary genetic engineering policy.
Spokeswoman Zelka Grammer says the council removed from its 10-year plan words opposing field tests or releases of GMOs, despite submissions supporting a precautionary approach.
"The second version leaves the control and management of genetically engineered organisms to ERMA, despite recent cases and inquiries that have shown lapses in management by the central government agency," she says.
The lobby group is preparing a complaint to the Ombudsman and auditor- general alleging improper process at the council.
The Northland Conservation Board is also concerned about changes to the plan and is writing to the council.
"A lot of submissions went into that wording initially, so it’s strange that it’s been changed," says chairman Kevin Evans.
Regional council chairman Mark Farnsworth denies his council has weakened its precautionary policy.
Councillors changed words in the 10-year plan to better-reflect what is achievable under the law and what they intended when they adopted the policy, he says.
"The policy wording as it was called for prohibition which was not intended and not workable.
"If you can’t enforce it, it’s not appropriate to have it in there."
The council remains committed to the policy, despite changes to the plan.
Ad Feedback "The precautionary approach was always about lobbying the government to ensure adequate safeguards are going in.
"Our policy now better reflects what we can actually do."
ENDS
GE FREE NORTHLAND response to the claims made by NRC Chairman Mark Farnsworth:
Dear Editor
Our community group appreciates the Northern News's scrutiny of the Northland Regional Council's flawed internal process ('Survey findings will shape GMO policy, September 16).
Council chairman Mark Farnsworth underestimates the intelligence of ratepayers when he makes inconsistent statements about the content of our 10-year community plan.
On one hand, Mr Farnsworth claims that there has been no weakening of the community's precautionary genetic engineering.
He then acknowledges that the community's precautionary GE policy has recently been weakened and attempts to justify the weakening.
The NRC sensibly put a strong precautionary policy in the plan after numerous anti GMO land use submissions to the 2004/14 and 2006/16 plans.
This policy should be retained and enhanced, especially at this time when the incompetence of the Environmental Risk Management Authority and other central government agencies regarding GMO land use has become all too obvious.
The regional council - the supposed 'environmental protection agency' for Northland - should put in place rules and policies that are in line with its commitments to the community instead of disregarding the advice of its environmental management committee chairman Craig Brown and removing this important environmental protection policy.
Councils put policies and objectives in their long-term plans after consultation and discussion with their communities.
To give effect to them, they need to put in place policies and rules.
Submissions from Northland ratepayers, Northland Conservation Board and local branches of Forest & Bird should not be ignored.
The communities precautionary GE policy should be put into effect through policies and rules in the Regional Plan and/or Regional Policy Sttement- not removed from our LTCCP.
We urge the Northland Regional Council NRC to join the other Auckland/Northland councils in continuing to investigate ways of maintaining our existing valuable GE-free status.
Yours sincerely
Mrs Z Grammer
spokesperson, GE-FREE NORTHLAND
contact details:
postal: GE FREE NORTHLAND
PO Box l439
Whangarei 0140
tel 09 4322155
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