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 Zeland, a country which does not officialy grow LMOs, is concerned that the accurate
labelling of LMOs might adversely affect New Zeland's "economic interests as an agricultural exporter", as suggested by M. Hobbs.
The disturbing conclusions to be drawn from the New Zeland stance at MOP-2 are:
1. that New Zeland, like Brazil (the only other blocking country out of 130 signatory nations), is already growing illegal LMO crops with
the knowledge of the New Zeland government, making it impossible for the New Zeland government to monitor LMO contamination of
exports, or...
2. that New Zeland 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 Zeland 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.
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