Whangarei residents are putting up their hands to say central government control of genetically modified organisms is not good enough.
The Whangarei District Council is part of a Northland and Auckland working party looking at the risk and management options of GMOs.
GMOs are controlled by national regulator the environmental risk management authority, or ERMA, but the party’s legal opinion shows councils and communities could bare the brunt if something went wrong.
Through a poll by Colmar Brunton, the party has surveyed members of the public to see what level of risk they are prepared to take and how they think GMOs should be managed.
The survey found Whangarei residents are strongly against people producing GMOs and strongly support local councils having a role in regulation.
They also want GMO users to be legally responsible for any environmental or economic harm.
Many of the results from Whangarei are the highest in the Northland and Auckland areas.
The party will continue to gauge the community and lobby central government, says council representative councillor Sheryl Mai.
“We will continue investigating the community response but also making it quite clear that the people in Northland, and Whangarei in particular, are keen for this to rest at a government level,” she says.
“Three quarters of people in Whangarei say the council should have a role in regulating.”
Whangarei mayor Stan Semenoff says there has to be legislation across the country as GMOs will not stick to political boundaries.
“We certainly can’t stop the wind blowing from one area to the other.”
The party is called the inter-council working party on GMO risk evaluation and management options, and includes seven councils across Northland and Auckland.
Whangarei district survey results:
- Seventy-six percent want councils to have a role in regulating the use of GM plants or animals, either directly or through the ERMA process (highest)
- Seventy-two percent want regulation to make GM plant and animal users legally responsible for environmental/economic harm (highest)
- Fifty-five percent want councils to have a right to prohibit GM plants and animals by setting rules or through the ERMA process (highest)
- Forty-nine percent want councils to set rules for use of GM plants and animals (highest)
- Of those who supported council setting rules, 57 percent want total prohibition (highest)
- Of those who did not support council setting rules, 55 percent want councils to lobby central government to give council abilities to reject the use of GM plans and animals when ERMA is processing the application (highest), and 63 percent want councils to lobby central government to make users of GM plants and animals liable for environmental/economic harm (highest)
- Seventy-two percent do not think people should be able to produce GM plants and animals if they choose to (highest)
- Fifty-four percent say NZ should only produce food that is GM free
- Forty-five percent say GM plants and animals will not provide economic benefits
- Forty-one percent say GM will harm the local tourism industry (equal highest)
- Forty-one percent say GM will harm the local food industry (equal highest)
- Sixty-five percent support leaving open options for GM plants and animals in the future.
© 2009 Fairfax New Zealand Limited
