Hearings are underway on the government's Gene Technology Bill, which overhauls the regulatory regime governing the use of gene technology and genetically modified organisms to enable their safe use.
If passed, it will end New Zealand's nearly 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab, with the government citing `health, productivity and climate gains.' The bill has received about 15,000 submissions with 400 are being heard orally by the Health Select Committee. Detractors of the bill say it will exempt gene edited organisms from risk evaluation, and threatens to destroy the country's GE-free export reputation.
GE Free New Zealand's president Claire Bleakley is one of those leading that argument and speaks to Kathryn about her organisation's position. Jack Bobo is a proponent of GMO's in food and is in the country as a guest of the Kiwifruit Breeding Centre, a joint venture between Zespri, and crown research institute, Plant and Food Research.
Jack Bobo is chief executive of Futurity Food, and a former vice president of Intrexon, which has brought GMO apples to market. He is now Executive Director at the Rothman Family Insitute for Food Studies at UCLA. He is speaking at a BioTechNZ conference this week.
Food futurist Jack Bobo is the executive director of the UCLA Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies Photo: Supplied
