The fight to protect New Zealand from the risks of Genetic Engineering traces back to before the 1990s.
But people really woke up when GE soy was planted in the US and exported to the world.
GE soy was engineered to survive glyphosate based herbicides such as Monsanto/ Bayer’s ‘Roundup’.
At first the GE soy was deliberately mixed with conventional soy, so there could be no consumer choice.
People had to fight against this biotechnology industry “contamination by stealth”.
For years people continued to fight for public concerns to be considered in regulations. Now we have to fight again because strict regulations are set to be removed by the Gene Technology Bill and HSNO Amendments Bill.
Unacceptable
From the start, people all over the world demanded that GE foods be safety tested, segregated and labelled. (They stlll do). Public concerns also included eugenics, the genetic engineering of humans, corporate patents on life, Terminator genes in seeds and control of the food supply.
When governments and the biotechnology industry refused to listen, people revolted.
Most people agree that there should be the right to have GE-free food and to know if food is GMO.
But today that right is being taken away under pressure from the biotechnology industry.
Once again people have to fight for the right to GE-free food.
Revolt Against Genetic Engineering
RAGE (Revolt Against Genetic Engineering) was one of the early community groups to raise public awareness.
It continues the work today as GE-Free NZ.
Back then, people started to protest at supermarkets and demand protection for nature as a movement grew.
There were calls for a Royal Commission of inquiry to be held.
