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Organizers say 35,000 protesters marched through the centre of Auckland today to show the New Zealand Government the groundswell of opinion against genetic engineering. See it here: http://www.thebigmarch.net/ Plus multiple items below.

Excerpts:

"A pioneering scientist whose work helped pave the way for genetic modification research in this country will speak at an anti-GM rally today."

Aucklander Kate Godrey, a 31-year-old human resources consultant: "I've never protested before in my life but I feel passionately about this and I want to show my support."

Aucklander John Mangan, 46-year-old company director: "The Government seems to have been hijacked by ideology because it makes no commercial sense whatsoever to lift the moratorium, no customer in the world is buying GE food." 

Anglican vicar Ian Lawton attended last year's anti-GM march and would turn up for this one, too: "I have three children and I'm concerned about the world they will grow up in." .

"The anti-GM movement was getting out of hand", according to an NZ agribiz company with a stake in biotech firm Genesis Research & Development - 'Millions lost' if GM ban runs on

*Thousands march in New Zealand
*Thousands Voice Anti-GE Sentiment
*Scientist adds voice to GE protests
*'Millions lost' if GM ban runs on
*Anti-GM message reaches crescendo
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Thousands march in New Zealand bid to keep ban on genetic engineering
RADIO AUSTRALIA
http://www.abc.net.au/ra/newstories/RANewsStories_964885.htm

More than 20-thousand people have turned out in New Zealand to protest against genetically modified, or engineered crops.

A Government ban on GE trials ends in just a few weeks, as Gillian Bradford reports.

Protestors in Auckland filled the city's main street. "WE WANT TO BE GE FREE, WE WANT BE GE FREE." Smaller marches were held in the capital Wellington and in the south island cities of Christchurch and Dunedin. Many of those marching held banners criticising the country's prime Minister Helen Clark. Miss Clark has previously said those who oppose field trials of modified crops are luddites. Organisers of today's protest say they'll continue to fight to keep New Zealand GE free even when the ban is lifted at the end of the month.
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Thousands Voice Anti-GE Sentiment
11/10/2003 07:21 PM
Newstalk ZB
http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,3882-2738799,00.html

Marches in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch have called on the government to extend the moratorium on the release of GE.

A crowd of a few hundred walked through a bitterly cold central Christchurch, and more than 15,000 turned out in Auckland. About 1,500 marched in the capital.

Alannah Currie, of the group Mothers Against Genetic Engineering, says New Zealanders do not know enough about genetic modification to allow new organisms out of the laboratory.

MAdGE is also calling for a boycott of foods which contain GE ingredients.

Alannah Currie has criticised the government's processes for determining the risk of genetic engineering.

She says that a recent review of the government's Environmental Risk Management Agency found 49 areas of weakness.

She likens ERMA's protection to a condom with 49 holes in it.

Alannah Currie advocates prolonging the moratorium for another five years at least to enable more research into the effects of genetic engineering.

Many of the protesters at the marches turned up dressed as carrots, butterflies, and peas.

Alliance president Matt McCarten says Saturday's anti-GE march in Auckland was the best yet.

Mr McCarten admits the campaign is possibly a bit late to be effective.

But he hopes the turnout of about 15,000 shows the strength of feeling about genetic modification.

Matt McCarten says when the Alliance was in government, the party pushed for a longer moratorium on the release of genetically modified organisms.
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Scientist adds voice to GE protests
New Zealand Herald, 11.10.2003
By ANNE BESTON
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3528273&thesection=news&thesubsection=general

A pioneering scientist whose work helped pave the way for genetic modification research in this country will speak at an anti-GM rally today.
As protesters gather at rallies and marches around the country in a last-ditch attempt to convince the Government it should keep restrictions on GM in place, Dr Elvira Dommisse is adding her voice to calls for the moratorium to be extended for five years.

"Absolutely it should be, at least five years," the 40-year-old Christchurch mother-of-two said.

I had my doubts about GE then and I have my doubts now, there have been a lot of promises made but they have not eventuated."

Dr Dommisse worked at state-owned research institute Crop and Food and its predecessor the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research between 1985 and 1993 when she quit over the direction the new science was taking.

She gained her PhD researching genetically modified onions, the crop at the centre of a field trial application now before New Zealand's gene science watchdog, the Environmental Risk Management Authority.

Dr Dommisse's published PhD paper detailed her work genetically modifying onions with a soil bacterium.

The work helped pave the way for the application before Erma from Crop and Food scientists to grow onions resistant to the herbicide Roundup.

Although the onion trial is not dependent on the moratorium being lifted because it will be done in containment, Dr Dommisse said cross-contamination of pollen could not be prevented with outdoor planting of GM crops.

"It's just the nature of pollen, they talk about buffer zones but I mean please, you can't contain it at all and we are counting down to the day or year when pollen from GE crops gets out there."

She believes scientists within New Zealand research institutes and universities are unhappy with the emphasis that has been put on GM work at the expense of other areas of research.

"I personally know scientists who are totally opposed to the lifting of the moratorium and others who are unhappy about GE but see it as inevitable," Dr Dommisse said.

Anti-GM protesters will march in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Timaru today.

"We're looking for a historic turnout to convince this Government it has to listen to the people," said Greenpeace spokesman Steve Abel. "A majority of New Zealanders do not want this technology."

Dr Dommisse now teaches music and is a flautist with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.

She said she was not sure if she would return to a science career.

The New Organisms and Other Matters Bill is expected to be passed before the moratorium expires on October 29.
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'Millions lost' if GM ban runs on
11 October 2003
By MATHEW LOH HO-SANG
[Wrightson owns a 15.4 per cent stake in biotechnology company Genesis Research & Development]
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2687893a13,00.html

Wrightson claims that millions of dollars it has spent on research and investment will be lost overseas if the moratorium on genetic modification is extended.

The agri-business firm used its annual meeting in Wellington yesterday to warn shareholders about the impact of an extended moratorium.
                  
The GM moratorium, in effect for almost two years, is scheduled to end on October 29.

Wrightson managing director Allan Freeth said yesterday millions of dollars would be lost to New Zealand agricultural research if the ban continued.
                  
The anti-GM movement was getting out of hand and Wrightson wanted people to realise that millions of dollars in research funds and potential benefits were at risk.
                  
"The issue has become more and more distorted and as our company and the country are increasingly dependent on innovation and technology we had to get our views out there."
                  
Chairman John Palmer said the GM issue was causing the company a lot of concern. A recent government report had identified agriculture and forestry as the two sectors offering the most potential for growth.

Biotechnology, possibly including GM, was the key to realising much of the potential.
                  
"It is very important that the moratorium on the commercial release of genetically modified organisms is lifted later this month," he said.
                  
Contrary to the "dishonest allegations" of the anti-GM lobby, the lifting of the moratorium would not allow "open slather" with GM organisms. No country would have a more conservative, or stricter, regime of control on the release of GM organisms into the environment.
                  
Mr Palmer added that Wrightson had returned a satisfactory result in the latest year, though it was down on 2001-02.
                  
"(This) was a year of shrinking commodity prices, rising exchange rates and volatile weather across much of the country, and these factors led to reduced livestock values and a contraction in rural spending."
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Anti-GM message reaches crescendo
New Zealand Herald, 10.10.2003
By ANNE BESTON environment reporter

Anti-GM organisers are working frantically to create a groundswell of support in the lead-up to the end of the moratorium.

They are hoping protest marches being held around the country tomorrow will demonstrate just how deep anti-GM feeling is among middle New Zealand, forcing the Government to change its mind on the issue.

Prime Minister Helen Clark has said the Government will not be moved but protesters are undeterred.

"She has got this issue wrong," said Mothers Against Genetic Engineering [Madge] spokeswoman Alannah Currie. "There will be people there marching tomorrow who have never marched in their lives, we will not go away, this is only going to get bigger."

Yesterday New Zealand musicians added their voice to the anti-GM message, donating songs to the Hang on Helen CD which will be given away to people who send a "Hang on Helen" postcard to the Prime Minister.

So far, 170,000 postcards have been distributed. The CD features When the Cat's Away, Hone Tuwhare, Che Fu, Moana and Mahinarangi Tocker.

Aucklander Kate Godrey, a 31-year-old human resources consultant, is one of those joining the march tomorrow.

"I've never protested before in my life but I feel passionately about this and I want to show my support."

Aucklander John Mangan, owner of a fruit and vegetable export business, said he was going on the march to protest against "the arrogance of this Government". "The Government seems to have been hijacked by ideology because it makes no commercial sense whatsoever to lift the moratorium, no customer in the world is buying GE food," the 46-year-old company director said.

Anglican vicar Ian Lawton of St Matthew-in-the-City said he attended last year's anti-GM march and would turn up for this one, too.

"I have three children and I'm concerned about the world they will grow up in," he said.

Greg Menendez, of the "Take 5" campaign to get the moratorium extended for a further five years, said marchers would send a text to the campaign's number at the start of the march.

"I guess it's likely to be the biggest en masse texting in New Zealand history," he said.

Legislation providing for the end of the moratorium has been passed and new legislation to allow for field trials and "pre-commercial" release of genetically modified organisms is before the House.

The New Organisms and Other Matters Bill is expected to be passed before the moratorium expires on October 29.