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Source: NZPA / Ross Setford -
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A lobby group has challenged a plan to develop and commercialise genetically modified animals.
In the High Court in Wellington on Monday, GE-Free New Zealand asked for the withdrawal of development applications by the Environmental Risk Management Authority and Crown research institute, Agresearch.
AgResearch has made four applications to develop, import and commercialise genetically modified animals from nine species, including sheep, cows, pigs and horses.
But the GE-Free lobby argued that Erma had wrongly allowed the applications to go ahead.
It said insufficient information had been provided on the new organisms to be created or where they would be developed and tested.
Lawyer Tom Bennion, appearing for GE-Free, said potential submitters on the applications needed adequate information to make meaningful submissions that could help Erma in its decision making.
It was also important for local iwi to know where a development or testing facility was located.
GE-Free said that all the applications failed to identify with any certainty the genetically engineered organism that was involved.
The development and field-test applications failed to specify any locations and the field-test applications failed to identify what was to be tested.
"The lack of essential information has had the practical outcome that while many submissions have been received, the overwhelming majority have indicated that there is insufficient information to make sensible comments," Bennion said.
