New Zealand company's GE tree trials continue to draw criticism

The Soil & Health Association of New Zealand blew the whistle on July 12th, alerting New Zealanders that Scion Research appeared to be preparing to plant a new, non-approved GE tree trial.

After Soil & Health issued a press release containing what Scion Research claims is incorrect information, the genetic engineering company publicly declared its intentions although the company did not provide specific information. Soil and Health accused a New Zealand regulatory agency of being in the pocket of Scion, saying

"The Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) has the confidence of crown forest research institute Scion to such a degree that Scion is prepared to spend many thousands of tax payers dollars building new GE field trial space even before an application for an intended 4000 genetically engineered (GE) pine trees is publicly notified by ERMA, according to the Soil & Health Association of NZ."

Two Soil & Health photographs of the preparations were published by Sun Live. Scion responded by saying

"Scion is currently in the process of submitting an application to the Environmental Risk Management Authority for a new field trial of genetically modified Pinus radiata (radiata pine) trees in outdoor containment.

... Scion is not building a new field trial site in advance of its application to ERMA as alleged by the Soil & Health Association of NZ.

Photographs circulated by Soil & Health today show ground works that cleared up a huge pile of waste in readiness for a new campus mowing contract that is about to be let. The waste came from an extensive scrub clearing operation in Scion’s tree archive area, which is accessed and enjoyed by members of the public as a dog exercise area. The photographs show an area of about 60 square meters that has now been sown in grass."

Scion's field trials were approved in 1999, and opposition has been active since the company filed its applications. GE Free New Zealand has accused Scion Research of misleading ERMA over the safety of its field trials:

"... The advent of GE pine trees will almost certainly lead to the loss of insect and bird species and have further effects if GE spread pollen contaminates the existing pine and crop forests.

The information Scion is presenting to ERMA is misleading and severely compromises their scientific integrity. A Scion spokesperson erroneously stated that pine pollen only travels 300 centimeters. Many publications over the years have reported viable pine pollen spread up to 60 kilometers."

Opponents are afraid the GE trees will spread and breed with non-GE trees. It is feared that allergies will be aggravated by GE pine pollen, concerns that point out that no-one knows what GE plants are capable of doing once released into the environment. Soil & Health heightened those concerns by accusing Scion of non-compliance, saying

"... open flowering has occurred, fences have been insecure, GE material has been removed, pruning has not been correct, inspections poor, and risks have not been adequately evaluated."

Even though Scion claimed it had genetically altered the trial trees to prevent reproduction, a 2007 report from Scion stated that several of the trees developed catkins (flowers) and had to be removed. All of Scion's annual reports state the trees did not reproduce. If Scion's new application for a permit is believed to be an amendment to its existing field trial permissions, and as long as it is considered "minor" by ERMA, the public will not be allowed to comment. If the proposal is a new, larger trial, the application will be open for public comment. It is believed the new trial will see 4,000 trees planted. Scion's existing field trials include testing for suppression of reproductive capacity of the GE pine (GMF99001), and trials testing for herbicide resistance (GMF99005). The herbicide resistant trees have one anti-biotic resistant gene from e.coli, and one herbicide-resistant gene, as well as other genes. Genetically engineered Eucalyptus trees from New Zealand are being planted in field trials in the United States. Some 260,000 GE trees will be planted in the trials, said Organic NZ, the flagship magazine of Soil & Health Association of New Zealand. The trees, reported the New York Times, were genetically engineered to withstand cold. If the US trials are successful, ArborGen will sell the trees to the pulp and paper, and biofuels industries. The Pinus radiati is also known as the Monterey Pine, and the tree grows commonly in New Zealand, where it is used for timber. It can also be found in California and Islas Guadalupe and Cedros, Mexico.