A rewrite of the rules governing the use of gene technology could stem the flow of New Zealand scientists overseas.
Science and Technology Minister Judith Collins said she has met several scientists who felt they had no option but to work overseas because of NZ’s effective ban on the use of genetic engineering (GE) outside the laboratory.
“I have met scientists overseas and they tell me they can’t do this kind of research in NZ so they have to move overseas,” she said.
Collins told Farmers Weekly that the technology is widely used in all our key markets and those growers who want to remain GE-free can still do so.
The government this week announced an end to a nearly 30-year ban on using gene technology outside the laboratory, which made field trials of plants here impossible.
By the end of this year the government will introduce legislation, based on Australia’s Gene Technology Act 2000, to allow the technology to be used outside the laboratory, with applications overseen by a dedicated regulator.
Collins said the technology has advanced significantly since the ban was implemented 30 years ago, potentially offering solutions not previously thought possible.
She said AgResearch scientists have developed grass cultivars that will not only enhance the performance of livestock but are more resistant to drought and can reduce methane emissions by 15%.
Because of the difficulty getting approval to conduct trials here, AgResearch has had to conduct its field trials in the United States and Australia.
Parmjeet Parmar, ACT’s science, innovation and technology spokesperson and a gene scientist, said current restrictions on the technology have led to absurd outcomes.
“In one case local scientists developed a red-fleshed apple but weren’t allowed to taste test that apple in NZ. They had to taste it in the US instead.”
Collins said there could also be significant environmental gains, such as finding a way to make NZ’s burgeoning possum population sterile and confronting the wilding pine issue.
The technology has advanced significantly since the original legislation, she said.
For example, CRISPR technology developed in 2012 allows a gene or part of a gene within an organism to be tweaked to respond to new conditions or to act in a different way.
Collins sees opportunity in the development of medicines using the CAR T-cell therapy, which has been clinically proven to effectively treat some cancers.
In addition to new pasture cultivars in agriculture, the technology enables the accelerated development of new horticultural varieties.
To conventionally breed a new fruit variety takes six to seven years but to use genetic technology will dramatically shorten that and potentially enable trees to bear fruit earlier.
Collins said all our major markets use genetic technology, making NZ an outlier and economically poorer for not being able to use the productivity gains it offers.
“Look at the US, it is the world’s biggest organic food producer and the biggest GE food producer and both survive side by side.”
China, Japan, India, Europe and the United Kingdom are all major users of genetic technology.
“Who are we kidding?” she said.
Legislation will be introduced later this year followed by select committee hearings next year.
Collins said the Environmental Protection Agency will house the dedicated regulator to oversee applications for the use of gene technology.
