New Zealand: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual
There have been no significant official changes to the heavily regulated and cautious policies put in place by the Government of New Zealand (GONZ) for genetically engineered (GE) products. A GE equine influenza vaccine is the only biotech product approved for use. No other organization has submitted an application for a conditional or full-scale release of a GE product. Many in the research field attribute this to the costly, lengthy, and unproven nature of the regulatory approval process. However, there is on-going biotechnology research in New Zealand. To date, twenty-one contained field trials have been approved for a range of crops and animals. Only two are operational at present. Food Standards Australia New Zealand, the regulatory authority for approving the sale of GE food products in New Zealand, has approved seventy GE food products to date. All GE foods sold in New Zealand must be labeled. The GONZ is a signatory to the Cartagena Bio-safety Protocol.
