Eager to maintain its image as a "clean and green" country, New Zealand has yet to approve an application for conditional or full-scale release of a transgenic crop variety, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report released July 15 by USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service."Many attribute this [situation] to the onerous, costly and unproven nature of the GM regulatory framework, which includes a lengthy public consultation process," FAS says. "As the first applicant for a GM release will likely come under intensive public scrutiny and pressure from a number of different groups, some New Zealand companies have opted to go through the regulatory approval process overseas rather than in New Zealand."FAS notes that agricultural biotechnology remains a highly charged political issue in the South Pacific nation, with strong opposition from the Green Party and GE Free NZ. However, there are signs that attitudes are beginning to change:
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