April 6, 1999
This is a background note only. Any requests for comment should be directed to the Communications Manager at ERMA New Zealand. PH 04 473 8426 or 04 918 4826
The New Zealand King Salmon Co. Ltd. made an application for the genetic modification of salmon in January 1994. This application was made and approved before the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 existed and before the Environmental Risk Management Authority came into operation last July.
The application was made to the then Advisory Committee on Novel Genetic Techniques (ACNGT).
This was a voluntary structure administered through the Ministry for the Environment. All government GMO developments required ACNGT approval. For the private sector, the process was not compulsory but a number of companies sought approval for their work anyway.
The ACNGT comprised a panel of scientific experts. Its role was to provide advice on the assessment and approval of GM experiments and facilities. The Committee was set up by way of a Cabinet Minute but it was not a statutory process.
The ACNGT dealt with developments in genetic engineering. The process of ‘development' covers small scale, experimental work done in laboratories.
"Field testing' was covered by the Interim Assessment Group on GMOs, a similar scientific panel which also reported to the Minister for the Environment. A ‘field test' is a further step on from a GMO ‘development'. Organisms are tested outdoors in conditions approximating the natural environment in which they might finally be grown. Field testing raises a wider set of potential risks and therefore needs to be managed with a more stringent level of controls.
Finally, genetically modified organisms may be ‘released' into the environment. To date there has been no application made or approved for a GMO release in New Zealand, either by ERMA New Zealand or its predecessors.
The ACNGT advised on 29 April 1994 that the salmon development application and the containment facility met its requirements. At the time, there was no statutory requirement to publicly notify the application. [IAG applications were formally notified]. The decisions of the ACNGT were made public in its annual report and in the government Gazette of July 1998.
All approvals made by the ACNGT and the IAG were transferred to the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996. This was done by way of an Order in Council by regulation. The full list is set out in the Gazette Issue No. 101 Friday 31 July 1998. This is available in government bookshops. [The ERMA New Zealand website to date covers only those GMO applications considered by the Environmental Risk Management Authority itself. It will shortly list all the prior approvals. In the meantime information is available in the Gazette].
The Authority is currently reviewing all the prior approvals and checking them against the requirements of the HSNO Act. If an application requires further attention, it may be submitted for a Reassessment. This process involves two steps: 1) establishing the grounds for a Reassessment and 2) conducting the Reassessment, which would follow the same process as for a new application. Applications to field test GMOs are publicly notified and people can make submissions/attend hearings.
The Authority has not made any decision at this point on whether the salmon approval will be reassessed.
Ends
For further information contact:
| Dr. Bas Walker Chief Executive |
Karen Cronin Communications Manager 04 918 4826 |