Soil and Health Press Releases
Primary Growth Partnership Funding - Great Organic Opportunity
The $321 million Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) funding announced yesterday would have significant potential for genuine sustainability and Brand New Zealand, if organic and biological farming systems were the focus of the investment, however if focus is on more synthetic intellectual property and commodity hyper-production under a guise of sustainability, an opportunity will once again have...
Added: 18 Aug 10
GE Food Ingredients Need Immediate Investigation
News today from GE Free NZ shows that a complex pesticide riddled genetically engineered (GE) corn, Smartstax, is being allowed into the New Zealand food supply without assessment by food regulators.(1)Already 64 GE food lines and more than 14 GE food processing aids have been allowed through the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) assessment process, but none have contained anything...
Added: 16 Aug 10
New Zealand animal cloning needs to stop
New Zealand needs a ban on animal cloning, food from cloned animals and a verification process put in for imported foods to ensure compliance for New Zealand consumers, according to the Soil & Health Association of New Zealand. Soil & Health also wants the New Zealand Food Safety...
Added: 9 Aug 10
Organic Dairy Farmers Don’t Abort Calves
Unlike the 200,000 cows callously induced to bring cow herds into milking at the same time, certified organic herds are never at risk of such practices according to the Soil & Health Association of New Zealand.“Consumers of certified organic milk, cheese and yoghurt can feel confident...
Added: 2 Aug 10
Plant & Food, Lincoln University, MAF and MoRST Risk Brand New Zealand
Genetic engineering (GE) experiments by Plant & Food Research and Lincoln University need to be reconsidered following new reported failures by government agencies in managing GE risks at Plant & Food’s Lincoln facilities, according to the Soil & Health Association of New...
Added: 1 Aug 10
Pesticide Residues in Food - Worst Ever
The Food Safety Authority’s latest pesticide residue results are a nightmare: they are the worst results I have ever seen," said Dr Meriel Watts of Pesticide Action Network Aotearoa New Zealand.(1)* Pesticide residues found in 94% of targeted fruit and vege samples* Prohibited...
Added: 28 Jul 10
Something smells at Scion GE tree site
The Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) has the confidence of crown forest research institute Scion to such a degree that Scion is prepared to spend many thousands of tax payers dollars building new GE field trial space even before an application for an intended 4000 genetically...
Added: 12 Jul 10
GE Plants And Animals Do Not Belong In Clean Green 100% Pure NZ.
With a continued effort towards genetically engineering New Zealand pasture plants and developing herds of genetically engineered (GE) animals, AgResearch appears to miss the meaning of clean green 100% Pure, according to the Soil & Health Association of New Zealand.
“AgResearch in...
Added: 16 Jun 10
New Zealand Exporters Cheating India
Methyl bromide fumigation of logs for India at Picton this weekend is not expected to meet phytosanitary requirements due to cold temperatures and so unnecessarily risks the health of the community and environment, according to the Soil & Health Association of NZ.
The log ship Maipo River...
Added: 10 Jun 10
Caged Poultry Farmer’s Imprisonment Justifies Animal Liberators Efforts
The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) is to be congratulated for successfully prosecuting a poultry farmer for animal welfare offences, but should be exposing other cruel poultry farmers, according to the Soil & Health Association of NZ.
Gerard Bogaart, trading as Golden Harvest...
Added: 26 May 10
USA GE trees approval will reflect negatively on NZ
The approval by the United States GE regulator for 260,000 New Zealand raised genetically engineered (GE) eucalyptus trees for 28 field trials through seven US states is not something for New...
Added: 13 May 10
Increased Science Funding, An Opportunity For Clean And Green NZ
The Budget’s new science funding increase should speed correction of key flaws in New Zealand’s Clean Green 100% Pure environmental reputation, and boost conversion to organic...
Added: 12 May 10
Picton Methyl Bromide Gas Release Risky Again
The Picton community was tonight again at risk of methyl bromide fumigation gas exposure, as log fumigators in Shakespeare Bay released tons of the neurotoxic gas with light breeze flowing onto...
Added: 3 May 10
AgResearch's Cruel Experiments Cover A Wide Range of Animals
New revelations of cruel outcomes on experimental genetically engineered (GE) calves at AgResearch’s GE facility are likely to be just the tip of the iceberg according to the Soil &...
Added: 3 May 10
Soil & Health Congratulates ERMA
The recommendations by the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) staff that the Authority declines AgResearch’s four very broad applications for more genetically engineered (GE)...
Added: 3 May 10
Muesli – not as healthy as it seems, unless it's organic
The latest results from the New Zealand Food Safety Authority’s (NZFSA) Total Diet Survey raise concerns about the number of pesticides being found in muesli.
The 4th quarter sampling...
Added: 25 Apr 10
Protest Against Methyl Bromide Gas Release
Protests beginning in Picton Friday April 23 against toxic methyl bromide fumigant gas being released into the environment are being co-ordinated nationally in respect of Workers Memorial Day on...
Added: 22 Apr 10
ERMA GE Decision Smells of US and Political Influence
The main benefactor of the Environmental Risk Management Authority’s (ERMA) decision to allow the application by Crown Research Institute AgResearch a carte blanche application to...
Added: 16 Apr 10
Bethells Herbicides and Taranakis 1080 A National Issue
The community concern over aerial spraying at Te Henga, near Bethells Beach, followed by a 1080 debacle in Taranaki is indicative of a much wider issue; the extra heavy use of chemicals throughout...
Added: 8 Mar 10
Conflict of Interest By GE Animals Hearing Chair
“We have to be aggressive about getting the biotechnology out onto the farm where it can do the most good. Part of the gains to be made are included in making them quickly.”Hearing...
New Pro-1080 Alliance Lacks Sustainability Vision - 11 Feb 10Added: 2 Mar 10
Bethells Spraying Risks Environment and Community Effects - 2 Feb 10
Animal Cruelty Legislation Needs To Consider 1080 Effects - 2 Feb 10
NGO's call for Diet drink's aspartame to be dumped in favour of natural sweeteners - 10 Jan 10
Global Research Alliance In New Zealand At Risk Of Unsustainable Outcomes - 22 Dec 09
What We Want For Christmas - Strawberry Growers To Go Organic - 22 Dec 09
Organic Sector Firmly Opposed To Genetically Engineered Animals - 20 Dec 09
Celery at top of dirty dozen - 13 Dec 09
Clean Up Lincoln Countryside and Clean Out NZs GE Labs - 2 Dec 09
GE Food and Environment Regulators Need Changing - 12 Nov 09
ERMAs Chemical Cowboy Approach To Methyl Bromide Branded Reckless - 6 Nov 09
Food Safety Minister Needs To Question GE Food Safety and Labelling. - 26 Oct 09
Port Marlboroughs Independent Fumigation Monitoring A Sham - 5 Oct 09
Marlborough Needs To Clean Up Its Air - 17 Sep 09
US Commentator Calls New Zealand GE Trees Irresponsible - 24 Aug 09
Pesticide residues in food shows need for organics - 19 Aug 09
Proposed Amendment to the New Zealand Folic Acid Standard - 11 Aug 09
Federated Farmers Bees Man Ambushing Beekeepers GE Protection - 21 Jul 09
Life Sciences Confused About GE Risk - 16 Jul 09
A Quarter Million NZ Raised GE Eucalyptus Trees Intended for Planting in US - 28 Jun 09
MAF dodging Plant & Food's $10million GE liability - 28 Jun 09
NZ Pesticide Use / Cancer Link Shows Need For Support - 22 Jun 09
NZ Should Note Tasmanias Clean Green GE Free Approach - 22 May 09
NZ Free Range Pigs Farmers Deserve CoOL Support - 21 May 09
Picton Fumigators Will Fail Safety & Indian Requirements - 21 May 09
GE Ingredients In Inghams Chicken Feed - 17 May 09
Port Marlboroughs Monitoring of Methyl Bromide Failed - 15 May 09
Logs From Methyl Bromide Free Nelson To Be Fumigated - 11 May 09
Picton Fumigators May Fail Safety and Indian Requirements - 4 May 09
Picton getting tonnes of toxic gas again - 30 Apr 09
MAF-Biosecurity NZ and Plant & Food still not taking GE risk seriously - 25 Mar 09
Methyl Bromide Fumigation Supported By Marlborough District Council - 12 Feb 09
Plant & Food's GE Brassica Trial Closure Celebrated - 10 Feb 09
Methyl bromide fumigant bouquet for Picton this Valentines Day - 1 Feb 09
Plant & Food Research needs to drop GE - 14 Jan 09
NGOs visit GE field trial site today - 12 Jan 09
NZ Bans Endosulfan - 15 Dec 08
Country of Origin Labelling fairness wanted by NZ consumers - 3 Nov 08
New editor at Organic NZ - 16 Oct 08
Kiwi poll rejects GE animals - 12 Oct 08
ERMA’s GE horse vaccine use must be determined by ERMA - 8 Oct 08
GE protest in Wellington against the end of A GE Free NZ - 7 Oct 08
Aspartame promotion again lacks independence - 24 Sep 08
Pesticide residues in Australian veges show need for Country of Origin Labelling - 1 Sep 08
More endosulfan residues found in food as ERMA submission period closes - 8 Aug 08
Mapua report shows systemic problems with environmental protection - 29 Jul 08
More endosulfan in tomatoes – this time Australian ones are worse - 23 Jul 08
Ban highly persistent pesticide from our food - 10 Jul 08
Endosulfan: NZ exports at risk – is ERMA listening? - 4 Jul 08
Endosulfan: An appalling ‘proposed’ insecticide decision by ERMA - 30 Jun 08
MfE, ERMA and MED need to protect ozone layer and community health now - 26 Jun 08
Scion’s GE trees damage NZ’s reputation on Arbor Day and World Environment Day - 5 Jun 08
Highly toxic Endosulfan found in lettuce, strawberries, courgettes - 13 May 08
Scion’s GE Tree Field Trial Research Result Claims Unsubstantiated - 5 May 08
Wellington Regional Council’s independence compromised - 21 Apr 08
Get diet drinks out of our schools! - 16 Apr 08
Review shows that NZ is not ready for GE production - time for Organics to lead the way - 16 Apr 08
New GE onions trial a waste of resources - 11 Apr 08
Euthanase GE animals, don’t create more! - 11 Apr 08
Food safety review lacks true independence - 27 Mar 08
GE brassica planting possibly illegal - 18 Mar 08
Rotorua GE Tree Trial remains an environmental threat - 16 Mar 08
New Zealand's Fast Forward must be organic - 12 Mar 08
Wellington’s Regional Council compromising air safety again - 11 Mar 08
Soil & Health boosts Methyl Bromide protest - 4 Mar 08
Wellington’s air quality safety agencies are dangerously misleading - 29 Feb 08
Wellington’s toxic gas plume headed to Oriental Parade - 26 Feb 08
ALERT !! Wellington’s air to be poisoned Sunday & Monday - 24 Feb 08
MAF Biosecurity choking on the truth - 18 Feb 08
Organic farming is the clean green solution - 14 Feb 08
Wellington’s methyl bromide log fumigation must stop immediately - 6 Feb 08
Failure in GE tree reporting may bring tears to Crop & Food’s onion trial - 5 Feb 08
GE Tree trial breach shows institutional contradictions - 16 Jan 08
Christmas is over Scion, take the GE trees down - 13 Jan 08
Ditch the Diet Coke, the facts are out - 21 Dec 07
Aspartame research needed, not Coca-Cola’s soft sell - 26 Nov 07
NZFSA A2 spin just tip of iceberg - 10 Oct 07
Urgent need for Methyl Bromide moratorium - 8 Oct 07
Sustainable wine growing is not clean or green enough - 4 Oct 07
Marlborough vineyard herbicide use now touching 70% soil coverage - 20 Sep 07
