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Concern over GE experiments reaches High Court

Monday, 21 June 2004, 10:48 am
Press Release: GE Free NZ

Concern over GE experiments reaches High Court as PPL leave NZ.

On June 21st at the High Court in Wellington an injunction will be served in relation to the PPL GE-sheep farm, and ongoing community concern about effluent and blood produced from transgenic animals polluting both the soil and water table.

ERMA has recently confirmed that Scottish GE-sheep company PPL is free of responsibility for all costs of any clean-up, monitoring or future problems at the GE sheep farm it recently sold, and can take its money out of New Zealand.

The injunction is challenging ERMA to put in place high quality research, into the impact on the ecosystem, following eight years of contamination from the sheep genetically engineered with human genes. Other scientific studies into transgenic DNA have found it survives for up to five years in the soil.

The urgent need for adequate research and monitoring of the site has been signalled by recently publicised discussions by NZ government officials with US companies wanting to promote pharmaceutical production in New Zealand farm animals and crops. This is despite the Royal Commission on GM advising against using food-animals for such experiments.

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