Seeds of Discontent

The controversial lifting of a 2-year moratorium on genetically modified crop trials in NZ has been covered extensively by the Guardian, BBC, and Wired. The issue is a divisive one in a country reliant on both agricultural technology and exports, and its saleable “clean & green” image. The most widely publicised opposition to the release of GE organisms was the upfront billboard campaign (above) by Mothers Against Genetic Engineering (MAdGE) above. Despite receiving a petition of over 55,000 signatures and knowing that two thirds of voters supported an extension of the ban, the government stood firm on its decision. Said Research, Science and Technology Minister, Peter Hodgson, “We’ve got a regulatory system in NZ (the Environmental Rick Management Authority) that is determinedly the most precautionary, the most transparent – I think – in the world.”