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GE Free New Zealand

Issue 15 - 22 July 2020
 

Keep Regulation of Gene Editing

 

 

Kia ora Tatau Katoa,
 
With the elections fast approaching, we are asking for you help.

The warnings continue from Independent scientists that Gene Editing techniques can cause unexpected effects and must be regulated for safety, as recent published studies support.
 
But some industry players and scientists with commercial interests want to exclude Gene Editing from regulation to make it easy to release GE animals and plants.
 
New Zealand has some of the world's highest standards for regulating the risks from Genetic Engineering and GMOs.    We must continue to maintain our standards. 

Regulation has protected and benefited our global exports of high quality safe food.

 

Campaign: Call the Candidates

 

Regardless of their Political party policy,
lobby Candidates to keep regulating Gene Editing in New Zealand,
to continue to protect people, food safety and the environment.

 
Share with your MP and candidates the below links to
 published evidence of Gene Editing gone wrong,
despite previous claims for its accuracy and safety.
 


Together, we must keep NZ GE/GMO Free.

Nga mihi,
 

Claire Bleakley, President

 

Read press release here: https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200719.htm

 
 



Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GEFreeNZ/)
 

Membership to GE FREE NZ & Donations to Support
Court Proceedings to reinstate the Precautionary Clause - ref:  "NRC Challenge"
  click here for info



 

Gene editing in food and farming:
Risks and unexpected consequences

8 July 2020

Source: GM Watch.          

A new report by the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) provides an overview of the new genetic engineering techniques of gene editing that are being explored in agriculture, and the range of risks and potential unexpected consequences that can arise from them.

The core message of the report is that gene editing is genetic engineering, and that the process of gene editing creates genetic errors, leading to unexpected effects. Thus it should be rigorously regulated via thorough risk assessments and its products must be labelled.

Read more:

 

 

Science supports need to subject gene-edited plants to strict safety assessments

20 November 2019

Source: compiled by Claire Robinson, Editor, GM Watch.          

We’ve been asked to produce an up-to-date list of scientific papers that support the need to subject gene-edited plants and farm animals to stringent safety assessments – in the case of plants, at least as stringent as those already applied to older-style transgenic GM crops. That list – which is not comprehensive but gives an idea of the current state of knowledge – is below. For each paper, we’ve given an explanation of the findings and their implications.

All these papers inform our understanding of unintended and potentially risky effects of gene editing. On this topic, there are currently far more papers being published in the medical research field in experiments using human and animal cells, compared with papers investigating such effects in plants.
 

Read more:

 

 

CRISPR gene editing in human embryos "wreaks chromosomal mayhem"
– Nature journal

6 July 2020

Source: Claire Robinson, Editor, GM Watch.          


Lessons must be learned for plant gene editing.

Three papers show that the use of the gene-editing tool CRISPR–Cas9 to modify human embryos can induce large unwanted changes to the genome at or near the target site.  

The Nature article says the papers "give scientists a good look at what some say is an underappreciated risk of CRISPR–Cas9 editing. Previous experiments have revealed that the tool can make ‘off target’ gene mutations far from the target site, but the nearby changes identified in the latest studies can be missed by standard assessment methods."
 

Read more:

 

 







 

Recent Published Papers:


* Commercial lobbying and news hype picked up without proper journalistic scrutiny is creating a false view of the safety issues


Gelinksky E and Hilbeck A (2018).

European Court of Justice ruling regarding new genetic engineering methods scientifically justified: a commentary on the biased reporting about the recent ruling. Environmental Sciences Europe 30(1):52.

https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-018-0182-9




* Gene Editing can over-ride natural repair mechanism for damaged DNA,  in areas normally protected from mutagenesis

Kawall K (2019).

New possibilities on the horizon: Genome editing makes the whole genome accessible for changes. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10:525. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00525

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2019.00525/full

 

* CRISPR causes unexpected outcomes even at the intended site of genetic modification


Tuladhar R et al (2019).

CRISPR-Cas9-based mutagenesis frequently provokes on-target mRNA misregulation. Nature Communications vol 10, Article number: 4056, 6 Sept.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12028-5


 

* CRISPR gene editing in rice varieties caused a wide range of undesirable and unintended on-target and off-target mutations.
 

The study confirms that undesirable and unintended on-target and off-target mutations seen in gene-edited animal and human cells also occur in plants
 
[UPDATE 14 June 2020] Biswas S et al (2020).

Investigation of CRISPR/Cas9-induced SD1 rice mutants highlights the importance of molecular characterization in plant molecular breeding. Journal of Genetics and Genomics. May 21. doi:10.1016/j.jgg.2020.04.004

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1673852720300916

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF ARTICLES IN THIS NEWSLETTER: 

 

NATIONAL NEWS: 



 

GE FREE NZ PRESS RELEASES: 

 

 

GE FREE Northland Press Releases: 

 

 

FROM ACROSS THE DITCH : 

 

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: 

 

 

Want to help?

 
 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

Full press release & all references can be found on the links provided with each article.

 

Title

date 2020
 

Body

Read more:
http:/ 
 

 


 


GE FREE NZ PRESS RELEASES:

  presented by:
  • Claire Bleakley,    President 027 348 6731
  • Jon Carapiet,    National Spokesman 0210507681
  • Jon Muller,    Secretary 027 479 4195
Full press release & all references can be found on there links provided with each article.


 

Precautionary Provisions on Genetic Engineering are Welcome

https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200617.htm

date18/6/2020

The Northland Regional Council has passed a motion to include provisions in the Proposed Northland Regional Plan regulating the use of genetically modified organisms in the coastal marine area.The result of the NRC meeting is very exciting for the Northland Region

 

Full press release with references: https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200617.htm

 

 

GE Corn Resistant to Twelve Pesticides a Poisonous Cocktail.

https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200414.htm

14/04/2020

A variety of genetically engineered (GE) corn developed to survive spraying with up to twelve different pesticides risks exposing consumers in New Zealand or Australia to increased levels of toxic chemicals

 

Full press release with references:  https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200414.htm

 

 

Are Australian GE Regulators threatening New Zealand’s food chain?  

https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200313.htm

13/03/2020

Friends of the Earth Australia have uncovered disturbing evidence that the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) in Australia has licensed the breeding of dairy cows from gene edited bulls whose genomes have since been found to unintentionally contain bacterial DNA

 

Full press release with references:  https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200313.htm

 

 

We Mourn the Passing of A Great New Zealander

https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200307.htm

07/03/2020

Jeanette Fitzsimons was a voice for a vision of a better future, not just for Aotearoa but the whole world. Her calm and thoughtful ways of doing things showed respect and tolerance for differences of opinion. Her passion to follow her convictions to protect the environment and the welfare of people was central to guiding this country towards being a more sustainable and fair society.

Full press release with references:  https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200307.htm


 

New Ryegrass Benefits Farmers, Export Reputation, and Environment.

https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200228.htm

28/02/2020

The news that Germinal Seeds is developing high lipid grasses to suit New Zealand conditions and not using any GE technologies is encouraging and shows that conventional breeding is ahead of GM/GE development. This choice will allow New Zealand farmers to stay GE Free, and avoid the problems associated with GE contamination.

 

Full press release with references:  https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200228.htm

 

 

Regional Fight to Keep the Waikato GE Free.

https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200129.htm

29/01/2020

One of the largest topical contests over the use of Genetically Modified /Engineered Organisms (GM/GE) is being argued in the Waikato on Thursday 30 January 2020. The issue is of regional importance but also has wider implications for New Zealand's reputation as a food exporter and of safe, sustainable and clean food to international consumers.

 

Full press release with references: https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200129.htm

 

 

Application for GMO 'Imitation Blood’ Raises Concerns.

https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200119.htm

19/01/2020

Foods Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has received an application seeking approval for the GE Imitation blood ingredient used in the Impossible Burger to enter the food chain...The application does not have the proper safety profile for approval of the bacterial ingredient, called leghemoglobin (SLH), derived from genetically engineered soy.

 

Full press release with references:  https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200119.htm

 

 

NZ Should Emulate South Australia's GE Moratorium

https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20191215.htm

15/12/2019

The SA Government is to be congratulated for its understanding of international consumer sentiment. New Zealand farmers must take heed. This outcome in SA means consumers can now be guaranteed that food grown in SA is GE free.

 

Full press release with references:  https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20191215.htm


 

For all  GEFree NZ Press Releases: https://www.gefree.org.nz/

 


GE Free Northland Press Releases:


 

 

- Title

date 2020
 
http:XXXX

For more information and all press releases with references:   http://webXXX


 

SUMMARY FROM ACROSS THE DITCH
 

 
 

* Tit;e *

Body

https://
 

 


INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
 

 

Title

Source: editor                                                                                   date 2020
 

Body


Read more:   
https://Link

 
 

What GEFreeNZ has been up to ...


Here is a quick summary of what's been happening,
but please check our website for more info:            http://www.gefree.org.nz
 


- We have been participating in discussions with regulators and government.

- We have been disseminating national and international GE research findings.

- We have been actively supporting the GE Free regions court cases led by Soil and Health and GE Free Northland.

- We have participated in collaborative discussions with Australian & USA bodies.

 

Please have a dig around our site to see what we've been up to over the years.

 



 

GE Free Policy

Keep an eye out for this logo & encourage manufacturers
to get listed & use the logo.

The policy simply requires sourcing non-ge ingredients for their produce and non-ge feed for their livestock. This is a policy not a guarantee to assure customers so should be easy to encourage all producer across the board.

More information here: http://gefreepolicy.com/




 

GE Free NZ Membership


We would love it if you could help by contributing an AP, no matter how small, to keep us ticking over & provide much needed assistance to raising awarenesses & protecting our legislation.
 

Please help us continue to keep Aoetearoa GE Free. We utilise your donations towards whatever action is currently requiring attention.

bank account#: 06-0996-0521358-00

http://www.gefree.org.nz/join-ge-free-new-zealand/




 


 

For more information about what you can do to help
please visit

gefree.org.nz

 
              
Our mailing address is:   gefreenz.membership@gmail.com   
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