See also: MAF investigating GM maize consignment (New Zealand Herald)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10337858

MAF investigating GM maize scare
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411749/600291
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GE maize found in sample grown in NZ
By KENT ATKINSON
27 July 2005
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3359168a10,00.html

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) officials are tracing a complex mix of seed lines and growers in a bid to work out how a big maize consignment has tested positive for genetically engineered (GE) seed.

The maize - all grown for food in one region of New Zealand and stored in a variety of locations in the upper North Island - was tested by a food manufacturer as part of quality assurance checks.

No GE maize has been approved for commercial crops in New Zealand, and tests before or at the border are supposed to pick up GE seed in maize sent from overseas for planting.

But this is about the sixth such incident in the past three years, according to a senior MAF official.

Last year 4000 tonnes of corn with low levels of GE content was grown in 34 fields spread over nearly 400ha of land in Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Waikato and Northland, but the fields were checked for regrowth before 25 of them were replanted in maize and one in corn.

MAF eradication programmes manager Ian Gear said the current investigation related to a consignment of 13,500 tonnes of maize "held at locations in the upper North Island".

"The problem we have is that the sample comes from mixed seed lines and multiple growers," he said.

"We have to take all positive samples seriously, and tracing those seed lines and growers is a priority."

Mr Gear said he had a researcher looking at the initial quality assurance test to see whether the specific altered genetic sequence gave any clues to a particularly commercial cultivar.

But the bulk of the work at the moment was in identifying the properties on which the maize was grown, and what other cultivars were grown on the same properties.

Maize and corn are regarded as very "promiscuous" crops, with wind spreading their pollen between fields.

Mr Gear said the maize had been destined for manufacture into food products, and so would not have remained viable for planting as seed.

He said the next maize crop was due to be planted in October or November, and the nature of the New Zealand farming industry meant it was unlikely that farmers had held any of this year's crop to plant in the coming season.

Coincidentally, author Nicky Hager's book Seeds of Distrust was published in July 2002 - 17 days before the last general election.

It alleged that thousands of GE sweetcorn plants had been grown in Gisborne, Hawke's Bay and Marlborough from a contaminated consignment from the United States.

The book caused a political storm because Hager alleged that at the time the Government was told of the contamination, in November 2000, officials considered setting a tolerance level for contamination rather than adhering to its "zero tolerance" policy.

Hager's allegations that the GE-contaminated corn was allowed to remain in the ground and that the Government subsequently tried to cover up the issue led to Corngate becoming a key election issue and drove a wedge between the anti-GE Green Party and Labour.

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