Majority unconcerned by discovery of GM corn

Majority unconcerned by discovery of GM corn

Two thirds of New Zealanders surveyed by UMR Research as part of their July Omnibus Opinion poll think the discovery of some GM corn grown near Gisborne is a minor matter and no threat to the country’s exports.

Survey participants in the nationwide telephone poll were asked if they thought the discovery was “a serious incident threatening New Zealand exports or a minor matter involving a tiny amount of seed that was blown out of proportion by the media?”

“The result is not a surprise,” says Chairman of the Life Sciences Network, Dr William Rolleston.

“It’s quite clear that most people are getting a sense of proportion on these sort of issues and that it’s time for the Government to start considering the adoption of a threshold level for unintended presence in the same way as Europe and most other countries have done.

“A threshold is warranted to avoid the huge cost of trying to trace miniscule breaches of a zero tolerance policy which, as we are discovering, is virtually impossible to comply with and has negligible consequences on our environment and trade,” concluded Dr Rolleston.

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