Tiffany Tompkins: Organics NZ CEO on the impact of genetic modification on the value of our primary sector exports

There are calls for more discussion around genetic modification.  

An Institute of Economic Research report, commissioned by Organics Aotearoa New Zealand, reveals genetic modification could reduce the value of primary sector exports by up to $20 billion a year.  

It estimates GMO-free branding adds an extra 59% on the value of our exports.  

Organics NZ chief executive Tiffany Tompkins told Mike Hosking there's a range of opinion on the subject. 

She says the Government should slow down, open up the conversation and include farmers more proactively so we can understand the cost-benefit analysis. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We entered the world again this morning of the genetic
modification debate. We've got a report from the inzid I
Eer commissioned by Organics New Zealand that claims ten to
twenty billion dollars in primary sector exports could be lost.
ORGANICX New Zealand CEO Tiffany Tompkins is whether it's definitely
very good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Nice to be here, Mike, thanks for having we a.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
Survey commissioned by a group that says what the group
wants to say, Should I be suspicious to finow no?

Speaker 2 (00:26):
No. Organics ALTAIO New Zealand asked the question. We asked,
you know, what is the potential risk that New Zealand
is facing. We've been trading as a nation on a
GM or GMO or GE free status for a long
long time and we wanted to know what the risk
is if we lost that status, and so we hired

(00:48):
in z ir because they're professional economists, they're independent, and
they came up with the data that you see today.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
The data that you see today, is it rock solid
or is it Depending on how we do it and
why we do it and when we do it, it might
look something like this yeah, I think.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
It's the starting point. There's a lot more research that
we need to do, but it's the first look into
an economic analysis because the government has not done one,
we have not seen one. So this is a really
great starting point for us to leverage and start thinking
strategically about.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Where do you reckon people are at with us? Do
you think people can't or they don't think people have
thought about it enough yet?

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Oh? I think people care. I think farmers care a lot.
There's you know, there's a spectrum of where people stand
on the issue. But I think it's really important that
the government slows down, opens up the conversation and includes
farmers much more proactively so we can really understand what

(01:52):
the cost benefit analysis is, so we know what we're
walking into.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
Because at first blush, My argument would be that what
we do is high end, and high end will always
have a market and a good market that and therefore
that's probably where we need to head down that path
fair enough on.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yes, yeah, No, New Zealand definitely carries a premium, especially
with the clean green image that we see in the report,
and that's something that the government has repeatedly said over
and over. You know, we need more value for our exports.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
The counter problem is, you know, climate change, and everyone's
obsessed about that, and you've got to feed the world,
and one science can help feed the world. There's going
to be a lot of pressure on that though, isn't there.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
Yeah, and not all scientists agree exactly how genetic engineering
is going to play a role, and that they don't
all agree on how safe ge is. So really it's
up to the government to open up the conversations that
we can have a really great analysis of the science

(02:53):
and the costs and a set of opening up to
g great to talk to.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
You, Tiffany go well, Tiffany Tompkins, who's Organics New Zealand CEO.
All I would say is go into my greenhouse and
taste my tomatoes.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
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