[WEBINAR BRIEFING] dsRNA Trials in NZ and their implications for primary productions

Join us for this important webinar briefing

Experimental pesticides using dsRNA gene silencing technology have been approved for field trials in New Zealand. For organic growers, this is a serious concern because gene silencing is a prohibited technology in organic production.

Join OANZ on Thursday 19 November at 7:00 pm for a free webinar with Scott Lawson (OANZ board member) and Dr Elvira Dommisse (OANZ science advisor). They’ll share what we’ve learned about dsRNA trials in New Zealand, including our engagement with MPI and the EPA, and what it could mean for organic and primary production.

Join us

📅 Thursday 19 November
🕖 7.00 pm to 7.45 pm
💻 Live via Zoom

What we'll cover

- What dsRNA pesticides are and how they work
- Why gene silencing is banned under international organic standards
- What has been approved, and what we still don't know
- The potential impacts for organic, and for NZ's primary production more broadly
- What OANZ is doing, and how you can help

Register now and share with your networks. This issue affects not just the organic community but all farmers choosing to be GE-Free, and the more people who understand it, the stronger our voice will be. If you can't make it live, register, and we will send you the recording. Email Lou (comms@oanz.org) with any questions for our speakers.

Meet the speakers

Scott Lawson
Scott is an organic blueberry grower from Hawke’s Bay and a member of the OANZ board. He has led OANZ’s GE Free advocacy for the past year, including its engagement with MPI and the EPA on dsRNA pesticide trials in New Zealand.

Dr Elvira Dommisse
Elvira is a former GM researcher with NZ Crop & Food Research. She is now a science advisor to OANZ, speaks on biosafety and genetic engineering policy, and serves as a trustee of Physicians and Scientists for Global Responsibility (PSGR)

---