31 October 2003
The Environmental Risk Management Authority is holding a public hearing into Crop and Food Research's application to field test GM onions in containment at Lincoln, Canterbury. The hearing will be held from Monday 3 November to Wednesday 5 November 2003 at the Christchurch Convention Centre. The purpose of Crop and Food's research is to field test GM onions modified for tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate, and to evaluate their environmental impact; herbicide tolerance; agronomic performance; development as cultivars and equivalency to non-genetically modified onions.
Field test applications of this type were not covered by the moratorium and have been permitted for the past two years. ERMA New Zealand publicly notified the application on 10 July 2003. 1,933 submissions were received, the majority of these in a standard format covering a similar suite of issues. 427 people who made a submission expressed a wish to be heard, however to date we expect approximately 41 submitters to attend.
Hearings are a fundamental part of the HSNO Act, facilitating the public's right to be heard in regard to notified applications. They are an opportunity for the Authority to be fully informed on an application and for the parties to put before the Authority information which is relevant to the application under consideration. The emphasis will be on the risks, costs and benefits of the application in the context of the statutory framework of the HSNO Act for contained field test applications.
The hearing will begin with an overview of the application by Crop and Food Research, presentation of ERMA New Zealand's Evaluation and Review Report, Nga Kaihautu will then introduce their report, and presentations from submitters will follow, and continue over the following two days. A draft sequence of submitters is attached.
For further information on the Crop and Food Research application, please look at the Application register on the website: www.ermanz.govt.nz. The application code is GMF03001 OR see the focus page on this application.
Media contact:
Uma Cannon,
Public Awareness Advisor
Tel: +64 4 918 4865 or +64 021 175 3691.
NOTE: The hearing will be open to the media. Tape recording, video recording, photographing or filing of the hearing by media or others will not generally be allowed. The Chair may, however, permit the recording, photographs or filming of preliminary proceedings. This policy will be announced by the Chair at the commencement of the hearing.
A media kit with background information, structure of the hearing, sequence of submitters, policy for media and media contacts will be available at the hearing.
Submitters are expected to appear in the following order, subject to the discretion of the Chair of the Hearing. (as at 30 Oct 2003).
| Name | Speaking on behalf of Submission ID | Organisation/individual (in same order as ID number) | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Jenkins. | 5800. | Canterbury. | |
| Susie Lees. | 5818, 6263, 6253. | GE Free New Zealand Inc; GE Free Northland; GE Aware Nelson. | Nelson. |
| Dawn Eskelsen. | 5927, 5957. | GE Free Taupo; herself. | Taupo. |
| Jan Gerritsen. | 4340. | Taupo. | |
| Sarah Pritchett. | 4925. | Capital GE Free. | Wellington. |
| Wendy McGuinness. | 6265. | Wellington. | |
| Jon Carapiet. | 6248, 5789, 5139, 6067. | Himself; South Auckland Branch of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society; Peter & Val Osborne; BMB Harris | Auckland. |
| Bob Crowder or rep. | 4394. | Soil & Health Association of New Zealand. | Auckland. |
| Steve Abel. | 6245. | Greenpeace. | Auckland. |
| Claire Bleakley. | 6251, 5915. | GE Free Wairarapa; Robert Pollock. | Featherston |
| David Warrick. | 6270. | Certified Organics Limited. | Auckland. |
| Hugh Ritchie. | 6252. | Federated Farmers. | Wellington. |
| Peter Silcock. | 5843. | New Zealand Vegetable and Potato Growers' Federation Inc. | Wellington. |
| Jen Crawford. | 6268. | BIOTENZ. | Wellington. |
| Francis Wevers. | 5815. | Life Sciences Network (Inc). | Wellington. |
| David Williams. | 4376. | California, USA. | |
| Victoria Davis. | 5799. | Takaka. | |
| Mark Jackson. | 5779. | Dunedin. | |
| J. Ruth Lawson. | 5916. | Dunedin. | |
| Dennis Enright. | 6049. | Mosgiel. | |
| Mark Bonar. | 5946. | Dunedin. | |
| Karyn Amoore. | 5065. | Auckland. | |
| Phillip McCabe. | 5819. | Waikato. | |
| Toni Atkinson. | 6036. | Dunedin. | |
| Jeanette Wilson | 4339. | New Plymouth. | |
| Marsha Morgan | 6103. | Christchurch. | |
| Paul de Spa. | 5924, 6080. | Himself; David Hill. | Christchurch. |
| Deborah Tsavousis. | 6081. | Christchurch. | |
| Joseph Burston. | 6083. | Lyttelton. | |
| Manfred von Tippelskirch. | 5997. | Christchurch. | |
| Lois Griffiths. | 4341. | Christchurch. | |
| Martin Griffiths. | 4481. | Christchurch. | |
| Philip Gang. | 6104. | Christchurch. | |
| Rudolf Jarosewitsch. | 5771. | Christchurch. | |
| Kirsteen Britten | 6082. | Christchurch. | |
| Irinka Britnell. | 6094. | Christchurch. | |
| Michael Britnell. | 6097. | Christchurch. | |
| John Bentham. | 6118. | Christchurch. | |
| Blair Anderson. | 5712. | Christchurch. | |
| Melanie White. | 6071. | Lyttelton. | |
| Philip Driver. | 5667. | Christchurch. | |
| Charles Drace. | 4479. | Christchurch. |