by Luca Fant
We have all heard from the supporters of the proposed Gene Technology Bill that in New Zealand non-GMO can ‘coexist’ with genetic engineering (GE). That we can have it all – GE crops, conventional crops, and organic farms side by side. But if you look at what’s happened around the world, that idea falls apart pretty quickly.
Once GE crops are in the ground, they don’t stay still and obey the buffer areas rules. Pollen travels on the wind, seed gets carried by birds, tractors, trucks, workers, etc. Storage silos and machinery aren’t perfect.
In addition to plants, other GMOs such as animals, insects and microbes also can’t coexist alongside GE-free production systems. For example, experimental GE mosquitoes have interbred with non-GMO mosquitoes in Brazil.
Over time, contamination just happens it’s inevitable and it’s not the GE companies who pay for it – it’s the farmers who didn’t choose GE.
Look at what happened in the United States with StarLink maize. It was a GE corn meant only for animal feed, but it ended up contaminating food for humans. The result? Massive recalls and billions of dollars in losses. Or Canada, where GE canola spread so widely that non-GE and organic canola virtually disappeared. Farmers who wanted to stay GE-free couldn’t any more, no matter how careful they were.
Or when scientists at the University of California, Davis, tried to create horn-free dairy cows using CRISPR and TALENs (types of gene editing) to eliminate the need for dehorning. However it was discovered that fragments of bacterial DNA used in the editing process had unintentionally integrated antibiotic resistance genes from bacteria into the cows’ genomes near the editing site. The project was halted, and the animals were destroyed.
These cases highlight that even in controlled lab conditions, unexpected outcomes are possible, and when things go wrong, it’s farmers, animals, ecosystems and the public who bear the consequences.
We are told that liberalising GE is about “freedom of choice,” but when contamination becomes unavoidable, there’s no real choice left.
If the law allows:
- fully GMO production,
- ‘conventional’ non-GMO with a little bit of GE contamination, and
- organic with ‘tolerated traces’ of GE or the risk of losing certification
then we end up with three levels of food:
- GMO,
- less-GMO, and
- lesser-GMO.
That’s not real diversity, that’s slow erosion. Every level gets a little bit more compromised until nothing is truly GE-free any more.
Not a choice any more, but an imposition. A contamination.
New Zealand is still lucky in a sense. We still have a GE-free environment, which gives our farmers and growers an edge in premium, high-value markets that actually pay for organic clean, sustainable, and trustworthy food. But once GE is out there, it doesn’t go back. There’s no fence tall enough, no filter fine enough, to keep it contained.
Coexistence might sound achievable on paper, but in practice, it’s the opposite. It strips away the right to remain GE-free for organic growers, for conventional farmers, and for all of us who want that choice at the checkout.
Keeping New Zealand GE-free isn’t about rejecting science or being old-fashioned. It’s about learning from other countries’ mistakes and protecting our freedom, our land, and our integrity.
Because once GE contamination spreads, choice disappears, and that’s something no farmer or consumer should ever have to lose.
Once our freedom of choice is gone, no law, regulation, or rebranding can ever bring it back!
Luca Fant is BioGro’s wine programme manager, senior auditor and IT support. Having grown up on an organic and biodynamic farm in the north of Italy and with a background in engineering, he brings a lifelong passion and deep understanding of organic practices, combined with a forward-looking approach to technology in the sector. Originally published on BioGro.
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