The Labour-Alliance Government has been severely embarrassed by its pre-election promise to create a new Ministry of Food, National's International Trade Spokesperson John Luxton said today.

"All advice has been against creating such a Ministry because it will place New Zealand's agricultural exports at risk.

"When in opposition, the Labour Party backed out of an agreement with the National Government to create a Food Agency within the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry, and instead promised to create a new Food Ministry.

"We are now two years on and no progress has been made on creating a Food Ministry, as such a Ministry will lack credibility as an export certifying agency for New Zealand's increasing food exports.

"New Zealand's food exports are certified by MAF to the highest international standards. Any new agency may not be recognised by many countries and could therefore jeopardise these exports.

"I look forward to the Labour-Alliance Government's reneging on this policy and creating the originally proposed Food Agency within MAF," Mr Luxton said.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>