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ACT Rodney MP Penny Webster today described Sue Bradford's call for the district to become GE-free as 'ill conceived and dangerous'.

"The Greens asked for the Royal Commission - the most comprehensive inquiry into genetic engineering ever conducted into the world - and now they don't like the outcome. The Greens were burnt by the result, which didn't support any of their dogmatic beliefs.

"Now they are trying to turn New Zealand GE-free, district by district.

"Is Sue Bradford saying that if a cure for MS or diabetes was created using biotechnology, we wouldn't be allowed to use it in Rodney? If there is a disease-resistant strain of vine, we couldn't use that either?

"We are reliant on dairy, beef, forestry and growing tourism as well as a burgeoning boutique wine industry. We cannot afford to miss out on the opportunities that biotechnology provides - in medicine and in our industries. We do not want to become peasant farmers," Penny Webster said.

Ends

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