Agriculture Minister Damian O’Connor has said New Zealand “needs to have a sensible, mature conversation about genetic engineering.”
The comments were made in response to the Government’s Interim Climate Change Committee which raised concerns that laws surrounding genetic modification could be a barrier to lowering farming emissions.
BioTechNZ Executive Director Zahra Champion has previously shared her views on the topic, saying that the issues and benefits of gene editing must accelerate discussions by the biotech industry and academic researchers to convince the public that gene editing of crops is pivotal in helping climate change.
“How can biotech help New Zealand as a country limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels? The task for biotech to mitigate global warming could be by genetically modifying cows to help cut methane emissions by 50 percent.”
Read the full article on the New Zealand Herald.
