Chairman, Doug Voss, said Kiwifruit New Zealand and its global marketer, ZESPRI International Limited, had a policy, introduced in March this year, to align research and development to the industry’s strong environmental philosophy and production practices by rejecting any involvement in genetic engineering.

Our focus is on extending and enhancing our award winning Kiwigreen system which maps, monitors and measures the entire production process, producing high quality fruit with minimal residues while sustaining the natural environment. The aim now is to develop a total environmental management system to cover all areas of orchard and business practice.

We believe food safety issues are the paramount concern among global consumers with genetic modification and genetic engineering receiving huge attention. Our policy is quite clear. We will not fund research or sell genetically modified kiwifruit.

Responding to a statement from Green Party leader, Jeanette Fitzsimons, Mr Voss said that a former employee of Kiwifruit New Zealand had authorised a $5,000 contribution to the Gene Technology Information Trust in March 1998 in return for information on gene technology and its implications.

Our understanding was that this was a reputable group who could provide information on what gene technology was and its implications. We are not about to apologise for seeking information from a wide range of sources and believe we would be irresponsible if we did not make every attempt to be well informed of advances in fields impacting our business and any issues surrounding them.