High Risk Reckless GMO Pesticide Bills Must Be Withdrawn

10 Sep 2026, 07:42 by GE Free New Zealand · SCOOP

9/9/2026 - New Zealand’s agricultural sector and environment is in danger from industry and international pressured legislative amendments that do not effectively manage risk.

This would mean that farmers, growers, food manufacturers and consumers would have little in the way of protection against GE contamination of the business, food supply and the environment.

The HSNO* and ACVM** amendment Bills protecting the guidelines of genetically engineered organisms (GE) and pesticides go to second reading on the 17 September. Both these Bills with the closely related Gene Technology Bill essentially aim to fast track approvals and invalidate the existing precautions around genetically engineered organisms. [1].

“The HSNO report has tweaked the edges ignoring the risks and signals the intent to introduce the reckless permissive industry written Gene Technology Bill,” said Claire Bleakley, president of GE Free NZ “Ensuring there is legislation protecting the ability to farm without GE contamination or pesticide drift will be a major issue for this election.”

New pesticides currently go through an approval process are carried out by two authorities, The HSNO Act, administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), regulates the environmental and human health issues and places controls on a pesticides. The ACVM Act administered by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) determines the safety of pesticides, adverse events for workers health and sets the maximum residue levels (MRL) allowed for plants and animals.[2], [3].

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The EPA has just permitted 102 new experimental pesticides whose compounds are unknown, for glasshouse and field trials. It is suspected that some of them will be made from synthetic double stranded RNA (dsRNA) which the EPA has deemed non-GM. RNA effects can be just as dangerous as GMO as they can interfere with DNA activity in the plant or animal involved and also in other unintended organisms.

“Given that HSNO and ACVM amendment Bills lack the guidelines for safety for the environment, health or economic impacts, the EPA and MPI cannot effectively manage or assess risks that are still unknown,” said Dr Dommisse.

“Novel pesticides and Genetically engineered organisms (GE) are a threat to New Zealand Agriculture and the HSNO and ACVM Amendment Bills should be withdrawn immediately.

Notes:

* HSNO -Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Amendment (HSNO) Bill

** ACVM - Agricultural Chemicals and Veterinary Medicines Amendment

References:

[1] https://selectcommittees.parliament.nz/v/SelectCommitteeReport/237aff10-f9b3-45ba-1c50-08df0d2f868d?lang=en

[2] https://www.epa.govt.nz/about-us/what-we-do/

[3] https://www.mpi.govt.nz/agriculture/agricultural-compounds-vet-medicines/adverse-events-with-acvms

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