Parliamentary inquiry needed into Ruakura animal experiments
An urgent parliamentary inquiry is needed into the ethics and animal welfare issues of GE trials at AgResarch’s Ruakura facility, Green Party Animal Welfare spokesperson Sue Kedgley said today.
Papers released to the media under the Official Information Act reveal that genetically modified cows were born last year with ovaries so large they caused ruptures that killed the animals. According to the news reports, the cows were formed using human genetic code.
“We need a full parliamentary inquiry into these GE trials, and the ethics and animal welfare implications of them,” said Ms Kedgley.
“The Key Government disbanded the New Zealand Bioethics Council a year ago which had been calling for ethics reviews of all GE animal experiments. In the absence of a BioEthics Council we need a full Select Committee inquiry into these important issues.”
Ms Kedgley said there had been a veil of secrecy surrounding the GE animal experiments which AgResearch has been conducting using taxpayers money.
“It’s time to lift the lid on the research and consider the animal welfare and ethical implications of the research AgResearch is conducting. These are issues of high public interest and significance.
“I want to know why AgResearch, and the Minister of Agriculture, kept the trials secret. These experiments are being conducted with taxpayers’ money – surely we have a right to know what is going on and debate the implications of these experiments?
“The death of the transgenic cows follows similar disturbing information that genetically engineered trials have resulted in deformed foetuses and calves and animals suffering from respiratory conditions.”
Ms Kedgley said she wanted to know who gave the scientists at AgResearch permission to insert human genetic code into the cows.
“Surely New Zealanders should have a debate about whether we support the creation of cross-species transgenic animals with human genes in them. This discussion should not be left to scientists alone.”