Reading Time: 2 minutes By William Rolleston. Dr Rolleston CNZM CRSNZ is chair of Life Sciences. In its submission to the Health Select Committee, Organics Aotearoa New Zealand claimed the Gene Technology Bill would have “devastating impacts on the organic sector”. I know many organic farmers. They are good and hardworking people. Organics has created a valued niche in the food industry and this should not be scoffed at or thrown away lightly. The latest Organics Aotearoa report touted the sector was worth $1.18 billion
in 2024, an achievement the industry can be rightly proud of. However, it is worth considering just how much of this $1.18 billion is actually organic added value. Organics cannot be created out of thin air. It requires land – land that would otherwise have been used for conventional farming. Many, not all, organic products command a premium. The milk premium for the last Fonterra payout was very good at 22%. But many organic farmers take a productivity hit. In dairy, that hit is estimated
at between 10-20%, but some farmers have reported to me as much as 40%. The average across many crops is a production hit of around 30%. Taking the increase in premium and reduction in productivity together would suggest the added economic value for organics is around $40 million. Organics is a lifestyle choice for many but, importantly, it adds to our economic diversity. Organics also touts a lower environmental footprint but any drop in production must be taken up by others around the world. We
have already seen, thanks to the likes of David Attenborough, that humanity is pushing hard up against the natural environment. There is no more land, so our drop in production risks wetlands and rain forests to meet the gap. The key claim that the Gene Technology Bill will have a devastating impact on organics is not consistent with the evidence. A look around the world shows our organics industry is lagging behind that of trading partners who use genetic modification and who have deregulated gene
editing. Australia and the United States use gene technologies in their agriculture and have thriving organics industries. Meanwhile our organic land area has dropped 28% since 2004. This pattern is evident even in Europe, which has been allergic to gene technologies and heavily subsidises its organic agriculture. In Spain, the only European country to grow GM crops, the proportion of land in organics is 25% above the European average. Clearly gene technologies have not devastated organics in those countries. What seemed on the surface to
be a logical conclusion is tipped upside down by the evidence. Many may also be surprised to consider that the effectiveness of GM crops has reduced pest pressure for organic farmers. This is well illustrated in Hawaii, where GM papaya has led to reduced ringspot virus in non-GM crops and is perhaps the only reason non-GM papaya can exist there. We should investigate why our organics industry is so far behind our trading partners, but gene technology is not it.
Gene Technology Bill, organics, Organics Aotearoa New Zealand, Health Select Committee, genetic modification, gene editing, Fonterra, Australia, United States, Europe, Spain, Hawaii papaya, ringspot virus