GE animal Application Gets Re-assessment
GE animal Application decision Gets received for Re-assessment .
GE Free is angered over ERMA's rapid approval of an application to genetically engineer (GE) a large range of animals including Cats and Dogs. The application GMD09011 has the same flaws as the four-part applications by AgResearch that a High Court found was outside the law. GE Free NZ has formally ha d its submission for a Re-assessment received by ERMA who will take one month to consider if the information it contains should be looked at further.
"This major application was
approved under low risk regulations in just one week, and
has totally cut out public comment,” said Claire Bleakley
of GE Free NZ in food and environment.
“What is worse
it is almost identical to the applications that have been
set aside due to the lack of detail required under the HSNO
Act.”
GE Free NZ has provided information to ERMA that state the following grounds for re-assessment:
• There is no detail, data, organism expression
identified, sequenced or characterized, so the gene of
interest and vector function cannot be understood. This
application generates the potential to create high risk
organisms
• The identified virus and bacterial
constructs used are able to cause serious animal, human and
plant diseases and may present a serious hazard to
laboratory personnel
• There is no way of knowing if
the organism being created will cause an increase of
disease, virulence or infectivity
• There is no
protocol around the aerosol droplets, effluents and milks
that might be able to escape and there are no disposal or
containment protocols in place
• Animals and waste
product may contain viable cells destined for disposal. Due
to the lack of organism description there is no way of
assessing the effects from self sustaining populations of
the new organism from this laboratory environment or waste
product s. The applicant does not identify any
experimental procedures to be used or seek to define how
they will address/test for the nature of the adverse effects
they have identified as required under a development.
In June GE Free New Zealand won a precedent setting case against ERMA and AgResearch that sought to genetically modify 18 types of animals: mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens, horses, goats, pigs, sheep, cows, deer and llamas and alpacas. The applications were declared invalid and set aside by Justice Clifford. The decision has been challenged by AgResearch and is to be heard in late January in the Court of Appeal.
"The rapidly approved application has the very flaws raised in the High Court case and found to be outside the law. AgResearch has no right to ride roughshod over New Zealand Law especially as their appeal against the High Court decision is yet to be heard,” said Mrs Bleakley.
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