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With only 2 weeks to go,
check in with your Local Candidate
to Keep Regulation of Gene Editing
Kia ora Tatau Katoa,
With the delay of the Election we still have a few weeks to check in with our nominees to see where they stand.
You can find all your regions candidates via this interactive Vote NZ Map
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.
As Australia is pressured to drop safety regulation of gene editting New Zealand must defend our food saftey standards.
New Zealand has ceded sovereignty of GE food in the food chain by allowing total control and decision making by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), a TransTasman food approval agency. Gene Editing is considered GE and so has to go through FSANZ approval before it reaches the food chain. However, there is now to be a review of the FSANZ Act and this has the potential to further allow unregulated and unsafe foods made with GE technologies.
This review is to be undertaken by the Ministers. For more information, go to the Food Regulation website https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/fr/publishing.nsf/Content/Modernisation-of-the-food-regulation-system
or contact with your queries on consultation timelines via secretariat@foodregulation.gov.au
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 (below).
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.
Together, we must keep NZ GE/GMO Free.
Nga mihi,
Claire Bleakley, President
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
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New gene-editing test a 'game changer' for New Zealand
8 Sept 2020
Source: Charlie Mitchell, Stuff.
A newly-developed test that can tell whether a crop has been genetically altered has been called a “game changer” for New Zealand’s high-value export market. New research, partly funded by a New Zealand group, has outlined a method for discovering whether a crop has been gene edited (GE). Rapid advances in gene editing technology have led to claims that genetically altered crops could not be differentiated from their natural counterparts. The open-source test, published on Tuesday morning, has shown that is not the case.
Read more:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/300101314/new-geneediting-test-a-game-changer-for-new-zealand
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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.
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Scientists Raise Safety Concerns For Glyphosate-Resistant GE Foods
https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200905.htm
5/9/2020
Nobody is responsible for testing toxic chemical residues in scores of imported GE foods that FSANZ have approved. Food safety is significantly undermined by this gap in regulation, but the New Zealand Minister is left as powerless as consumers in being able to address the situation.
Full press release with references: https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200905.htm
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New Zealand Needs its Own Food Safety Authority
https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200830.htm
130/08/2020
We believe that the trans Tasman FSANZ is not fit for purpose and has many inconsistencies in setting safety standards for GE foods. This is inherently unjust to the public, and there should be a dedicated Food Standards Regulatory Authority in New Zealand."
Full press release with references: https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200830.htm
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Protection from GE for Northland Growers and Exporters Welcomed
https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200813.htm
13/08/2020
"We would like to thank all those involved, our lawyers, councils, and supporting parties in achieving this outcome. This protects the Northland environment from the devastating, polluting, pesticide effects by prohibiting the release of genetically modified organisms (GMO) and allows Northland to keep promoting the region as a safe place to source food."
Full press release with references: https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200813.htm>
Link: ENV-2019-AKL-000177- Environment Court Decision 7/8/2020
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Safety Regulations for GE Under Threat
https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200731.htm
31/07/2020
Pexa Vec (Pexastimogene Devacirepvec) a live genetically engineered small pox (vaccinia) virus failed to reach its clinical endpoints and was closed down eighteen months early. This result shows that there are still many uncertainties about how GE technologies impact human health.
Full press release with references: https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200731.htm
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Call for Politicians to Keep Regulation of Gene Editing
https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200719.htm
21/07/2020
Politicians from all parties are being asked to ensure there are strict regulations on Genetically Engineered Organisms, including Gene Editing. The published science shows we cannot be confident in sweeping claims of precision or safety. The unexpected collateral effects of Gene Editing strongly support New Zealand taking the precautionary approach.
Full press release with references: https://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20200719.htm
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* The New Global Threat from GMOs *
If the biotech industry and their government supporters have their way, thousands upon thousands of labs will introduce countless altered species. Collectively, they can replace nature. IRTis on a mission to change that. And we have a plan.
https://protectnaturenow.com/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=505ab71a-81e4-4a40-8dc4-1f36ea9c2a80/
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New studies show decision to deregulate gene editing was flawed
Source: Friends of the Earth, Australia 9 Sept 2020
Last year, the Federal Government decided not to regulate a range of new genetic modification (GM) techniques referred to as Site Directed Nucleases 1 (SDN-1) in animals, plants and microbes. This means these organisms can be released into our environment with no requirement for any safety assessment.
Read more:
http://emergingtech.foe.org.au/resources/new-studies-show-decision-to-deregulate-gene-editing-was-flawed/
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Belgium’s Superior Health Council Call for Phase-Out of Glyphosate Herbicides
Source: Sustainable Pulse 7 Sept 2020
Belgium’s Superior Health Council has called for the use of herbicides containing glyphosate (the world’s most used herbicide) in the country to be phased out before December 2022 to help protect public health. The full Press Release from the Superior Health Council can be seen below: NEED FOR A CONTROLLED, PLANNED AND PROGRESSIVE PHASE OUT […] The post Belgium’s Superior Health Council Call for Phase-Out of Glyphosate Herbicides appeared on Sustainable Pulse.
Read more:
https://sustainablepulse.com/2020/09/07/belgiums-superior-health-council-call-for-phase-out-of-glyphosate-herbicides/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=glyphosate_gmos_and_pesticides_weekly_global_news_bulletin&utm_term=2020-09-27#.X3BCI
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COVID-19—Reckless ‘Gain-of-Function’ Experiments Lie at the Root of the Pandemic
Source: Ronnie Cummins and Alexis Baden-Mayer, Organic Consumers 23 July 2020
“Gain-of-function studies are, according to the U.S. Department Health and Human Services, research which involves increasing the capacity of a pathogen to cause illness. The method is controversial because it can also risk new viruses leaking out of laboratories and into the population. In the period 2014 to 2018 this type of research was prohibited in the U.S., but in December 2017, American authorities announced that these kinds of studies would again be allowed.” From “The Evidence Which Suggests That This Is No Naturally Evolved Virus,” by Aksel Fridstrøm, July 13, 2020 Despite an ongoing cover-up by government authorities, the biotech industry, the military industrial complex and the mass media, there is growing scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was created and (most likely accidentally) leaked from a dual-use military/civilian lab in Wuhan, China.
Read more:
https://www.organicconsumers.org/blog/covid-19-reckless-gain-of-function-experiments-lie-at-the-root-of-the-pandemic?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=OB+668&utm_content=OB+668
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Florida Approves Release of 750 Million GM Mosquitoes amidst Public Outcry
Source: Sustainable Pulse 21 August 2020
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) approved Tuesday the first-ever U.S. release of genetically modified mosquitoes. Despite public outcry and scientific dispute over the human health and environment risks posed by this field trial, the approval permits the release of 750 million GM mosquitoes over a two-year period in Monroe County, Florida, which may […] The post Florida Approves Release of 750 Million GM Mosquitoes amidst Public Outcry appeared on Sustainable Pulse
Read more:
https://sustainablepulse.com/2020/08/21/florida-approves-release-of-750-million-gm-mosquitoes-amidst-public-outcry/?
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Glyphosate herbicide harms even GM glyphosate-tolerant soybeans
Source: GM Watch 25 August 2020
Scientists have found that spraying with glyphosate-based herbicide triggers unintended effects even in genetically modified soybean varieties resistant to this type of pesticide. The researchers, from GenØk–Centre for Biosafety in Norway and the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) in Brazil, found severe metabolic disturbances in both stacked (multiple transgene) and single transgene trait GM soybeans caused by exposure to a glyphosate-based herbicide. The findings could have implications for food safety.
Read more:
https://www.gmwatch.org/en/news/latest-news/19515-glyphosate-spraying-harms-gm-glyphosate-tolerant-soybeans
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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
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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.
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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/
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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/
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For more information about what you can do to help
please visit
gefree.org.nz
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