GMOs – the lobbying will continue

The Government will continue to be lobbied for the resolution of liability and risk issues associated with the release of GMOs, the Far North District Council says.


Community Development Manager James Bews-Hair says the council is an active participant in the Inter Council Working Party on GMOs and is supporting the group’s view that the Government needs to step in and put in place regulatory mechanisms to manage their release.


Contrary to views reported elsewhere, no councils in Northland, or anywhere else in New Zealand, had resolved to use their District Plans to regulate GMOs, he added.


“Far North District Council is taking a collaborative approach, working in co-operation with other local authorities. This means the Far North will not be taking any action that does not have collective endorsement,” he said.


“We have consistently stated that this is a matter the Government needs to provide clarity on, rather than something local authorities should individually wrestle with.


“There are huge liability and risk implications if councils take on this role and these financial and ethical considerations should not fall on the shoulders of councils and their ratepayers. The Government needs to pick up this issue and deal with it.”


Mr Bews-Hair said a recent letter from the Minister for the Environment had failed to allay councils’ concerns about liability and risk, despite the Government’s assertion that there were no issues for them to worry about.


“It is this council’s view that there needs to be more lobbying of Government and the inter agency group concurs. A lobbying strategy is now being prepared for consideration at the group’s next meeting.”