Dr Paul Hutchison National Science Spokesperson

16 May 2003

Greens have no credibility on US trade bid

National says the Greens relevance and credibility is seriously in question after its co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons has told Parliament 'that GE foods have never received any safety testing'.

National Science Spokesperson Dr Paul Hutchison says the United States wants to ensure that trade in food is carried out freely, where the safety claims about the food are based on thorough scientific evidence and risk analysis.

"The Greens have amnesia on reports such as the recent EU Commission Report on GE foods. The European's Directorate-General for Research concluded 'the use of more precise technology and the greater regulatory scrutiny probably makes GMO's even safer than conventional plants and foods'.

"The Greens credibility was questioned at the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification and they were required to apologize for false information

"They always want the impossible - zero tolerance in biological systems, or in the case of food testing population studies, which are not practical because of confounding factors. There is significant world literature on the testing of GE food for allergenicity and toxicity.

"After the EU Commission report a declaration was signed by over 3,500 scientists including 13 Nobel Laureates, AMA, UK Royal Society, UN FAO, WHO and OECD!

"Jeanette Fitzsimons is utterly irresponsible to make statements she can't back up, and she can cause serious damage to New Zealand's reputation when we are a country that strives for high standards based on scientific evidence," says Dr Hutchison.

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