At the recent MOP-2 (2nd meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety) in Montreal earlier this month, New Zealand blocked an agreement by over 100 countries that would have required accurate labelling of GE (LMO) content in food exports.

 
The position taken by the New Zealand delegation in Montreal, at the recent meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (MOP-2), raises some significant concerns about transparency and honesty.

The Hon. Marian Hobbs' brief statement on the matter, posted to the beehive website begins, not with clear and sober information on this important matter, but with an attack on political rivals and Non Government Organisations. This is a time honoured political tactic to draw focus away from the requirement for public accountability.

It is not clear whether or not M. Hobbs has issued these statements in her capacity of Minister for the Environment, or Associate Minister for Biosecurity, but presumably these portfolios are related.

The statements made, by M. Hobbs, in reference to the New Zeland delegation's near unique stance of blocking an agreement to ensure accurate labelling of GE foods (LMOs) at the recent meeting, seem designed to confuse rather than clarify. For example, her statement regarding the use of the label 'may contain LMOs', places this key issue in a context which is pointedly not the one of central relevance.

It is also difficult to understand why New Zealand, a country which does not officialy grow LMOs, is concerned that the accurate labelling of LMOs might adversely affect New Zealand's "economic interests as an agricultural exporter", as suggested by M. Hobbs.

The disturbing conclusions to be drawn from the New Zealand stance at MOP-2 are:

1. that New Zealand, like Brazil (the only other blocking country out of 130 signatory nations), is already growing illegal LMO crops with the knowledge of the New Zealand government, making it impossible for the New Zealand government to monitor LMO contamination of exports, or...

2. that New Zealand has undermined the agreement on behalf of intelligence and/or economic partners not signatories to the Cartagena Protocol, such as the U.S.; and or/ Australia, Canada, and Thailand - co-members with New Zealand of the Cairns Group consortium to the WTO.

Possibly the most disturbing image I have formed of the events in Montreal is that of Nuclear Free Aotearoa blocking agreement on an issue being championed by 33 African nations - the countries most vulnerable to the dumping of LMO foodstuffs.

http://www.ictsd.org
http://www.organicconsumer.org