Scientists from Crop and Food Research have been given the go ahead to
grow genetically engineered vegetables in fields near Christchurch.


The GE greenhouse will soon become a thing of the past, after ERMA gave
researchers permission to grow vegetables such as onions, leeks and
garlic outside of the lab.

"This is an ongoing research programme for Crop and Food and this is a
natural progression in what they've been doing over the last 20 - 30
years" ERMA spokesperson Geoff Ridley says.

The researchers want to grow onions tolerant to herbicide and resistant
to bacteria and bugs, as well as alter the pungency, flavour and colour,
which could mean the end of tea time onion tears.

The approval comes with strict limitations and GM plants will be covered
with special cages, designed to keep their seeds away from other plants.

"We identify what the risks are and we put controls around those risks
to mitigate them" Ridley says.

However, opponents say it will not be enough.

"It's almost inevitable to be honest that some cross contamination will
occur - certainly there can be no assurances that it won't happen,"
researcher-turned-opponent Dr Elvira Dommisse says.

She says a field trial takes it too far.

"We're billing ourselves as a clean green sustainable nation; we should
be investing in clean green sustainable research."

The decision follows years of heated opposition from GE opponents.

It is expected that security will be tight when the first plants come
out of the greenhouse and into the ground later next year.
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