Govt brings an end to the ban on gene technologies – and Greenpeace responds by calling for a culling of cows
An announcement from Social Development Minister Louise Upston yesterday quickly generated a storm of critical comment.
She unveiled what she called a comprehensive package of reforms to the benefit system designed to shift more people off Jobseeker Support into employment and introduce tougher consequences for those who repeatedly do not meet their benefit obligations.
Political scientists Bryce Edwards has recorded some of the resultant headlines on his Democracy Project website. Among those he listed:
* Stewart Bowman-Lund (Spinoff): The green light flicks on for tougher beneficiary sanctions
* Glenn McConnell (Stuff): New sanctions for beneficiaries, but minister doesn’t know what happens post-sanction
* Russell Palmer and Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Government benefit sanctions ‘waging a war on the poor’ – Greens
* Julia Gabel (Herald): Cruel policies and benefit bashing: Government’s political opponents slam new social welfare sanctions
Bryan Bruce: Shape Up or Ship Out! (Paywalled)
Point of Order portends a similar furore after the Government announced it is ending New Zealand’s nearly 30-year ban on gene technology outside the laboratory.
Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins says this will bring health, productivity and climate gains for New Zealanders.
Greenpeace Aotearoa was among the first to seize on the announcement to push its cause, but not to declare its opposition to genetic engineering. Rather, the environmental lobbying outfit found cause to again demand a culling of the country’s dairy cows.
Yet Collins had made no mention of cows or the dairy industry, as you can see from her press statement which can be found here …
Political scientists Bryce Edwards has recorded some of the resultant headlines on his Democracy Project website. Among those he listed:
* Stewart Bowman-Lund (Spinoff): The green light flicks on for tougher beneficiary sanctions
* Glenn McConnell (Stuff): New sanctions for beneficiaries, but minister doesn’t know what happens post-sanction
* Russell Palmer and Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Government benefit sanctions ‘waging a war on the poor’ – Greens
* Julia Gabel (Herald): Cruel policies and benefit bashing: Government’s political opponents slam new social welfare sanctions
Bryan Bruce: Shape Up or Ship Out! (Paywalled)
Point of Order portends a similar furore after the Government announced it is ending New Zealand’s nearly 30-year ban on gene technology outside the laboratory.
Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins says this will bring health, productivity and climate gains for New Zealanders.
Greenpeace Aotearoa was among the first to seize on the announcement to push its cause, but not to declare its opposition to genetic engineering. Rather, the environmental lobbying outfit found cause to again demand a culling of the country’s dairy cows.
Yet Collins had made no mention of cows or the dairy industry, as you can see from her press statement which can be found here …
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A comprehensive package of reforms to the benefit system unveiled today will shift more people off Jobseeker Support into employment and introduce tougher consequences for those who repeatedly do not meet their benefit obligations.
In her statement, Judith Collins said legislation ending the genetic technology ban and implementing a dedicated regulator to oversee applications to use gene technology will be introduced to Parliament by the end of the year.
“This is a major milestone in modernising gene technology laws to enable us to improve health outcomes, adapt to climate change, deliver massive economic gains and improve the lives of New Zealanders,” Ms Collins says.
“New Zealand has lagged behind countries, including Australia, England, Canada and many European nations in allowing the use of this technology for the benefit of their people, and their economies.”
New Zealand’s biotech sector, of which gene technology is a part, generated $2.7 billion in revenue in 2020, Collins noted.
The changes she was announcing would allow researchers and companies to further develop and commercialise their innovative products.
“Importantly it will help New Zealanders to better access treatments such as CAR T-cell therapy, which has been clinically proven to effectively treat some cancers. It can also help our farmers and growers mitigate emissions and increase productivity, all of which benefits our economy,” Ms Collins says.
“Restrictive rules and time-consuming processes have made research outside the lab almost impossible, resulting in New Zealand falling behind. These changes will bring New Zealand up to global best practice and ensure we can capitalise on the benefits.”
The new legislation will be based on Australia’s Gene Technology Act 2000 and modified to work here in New Zealand. Like Australia, a regulator will be established to enable the science while managing potential risks to human health and the environment.
The MBIE website (mbie.govt.nz) has been updated with information for the public, including this simple explainer video: https://youtu.be/I_O9DGT_jy4
Greenpeace spokesperson Sinéad Deighton-O’Flynn reacted by talking more about the dairy industry than GM technologies, saying:
“While it’s good to see the Government finally acknowledging the dairy industry’s major role in the climate crisis, as-yet unproven genetically engineered methane inhibitors will not solve New Zealand dairy’s climate pollution problem.
“The problem is simple, and the solution is simple too. New Zealand has way too many cows, fed with imported feed like rainforest-destroying palm kernel and grass grown with vast quantities of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.
“The solution is to significantly reduce cow numbers, and end the use of palm kernel and synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. These are things we know will substantially reduce climate pollution. Genetically engineered techno-fixes are a risky distraction.”
Greenpeace is calling on the Government to implement real solutions to the dairy industry’s climate pollution, by reducing cow numbers and supporting a transition to plant-based ecological, organic farming that works with nature.
But the closest Collins got to mentioning cows was when she said the changes “can also help our farmers and growers mitigate emissions and increase productivity, all of which benefits our economy”
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
3 comments:
Greenpeace masquerading as "Red terror", i.e. Bolsheviks
Why are they called Greenpeace. Their policies would inflict anything but peace onto the citizens of NZ.
Killing cows means less milk and less dollars for already struggling farmers. Lower milk yields equals higher prices for an essential food, that hardly solves anything.
No, I don’t agree with anything they spout. Eco terrorists seems more suitable.
When a person is characterised as being "green", it means they are inexperienced, naive and probably young. Perfectly describes the folk at Greenpeace.
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