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Participants’ final comments

As a final step in the workshop process, participants were asked for their summary guidelines. The Auckland workshop group provided the following:

1. Need effective forms of monitoring GM food regulations.
2. Look for international co-operation for testing. This will depend on an international acceptance of tests.
3. Funding for complementary research – at present it is much easier for economic based R&D to find sponsors.
4. Participation needs financial support if it is to be comprehensive. Many groups do not have the financial resources to take part in decision making with respect to GM food regulations and guidelines.
5. New Zealand is a food exporter with a high proportion of exports based on agriculture and fishing. There is a need to recognise the impact of these exports on the economy, when establishing GM food regulations and guidelines.

From the Wellington workshop, one theme came through consistently:

• the need for Trust in the processes

 

Consultant’s Observations

The two consultants who facilitated the twin workshops have made the following list of key points as they see them:

1. Participants had reservations about concepts such as ‘equivalence’, ‘substantially equivalent’ and ‘substantially different’.
2. There was much debate about the availability of adequate tests – with a spread of views.
3. There was recognition that non-GM foods are not always extensively tested.
4. The word ‘evidence’ might be more acceptable than the words ‘sound science’.
5. An observation made was that the boundary line between food and medicines will become more indistinct over time.
6. The lack of consumer confidence in science re GM foods, where the knowledge base in imperfect, was mentioned frequently.
7. There is a risk of the consumers being ‘overawed’ by the large body information re GM foods.
8. Workshop discussions implied Codex regulations and guidelines should also focus on the food product, not the process under which the food was produced.

 

Contact for Enquiries

Dr Sharon Adamson
Manager, Innovation Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND

Phone: +64 4 894 0618
Fax: +64 4 4 894 0741
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