New Zealand鈥檚 Green Party and another witness to the New Zealand Royal
Commission on Genetic Modification, admitted last week that they gave incorrect
and misleading testimony in February. Elaine Ingham of Oregon State University
had said that a genetically modified strain of the bacterium Klebsiella
planticola killed potted plants in experiments, and that if released it
could 鈥渞esult in the death of all terrestrial plants鈥
(New Scientist, 3 March, p 11).
Ingham now admits that the US Environmental Protection Agency
never considered allowing field trials of the bacterium, as she had testified,
and says the destruction of terrestrial plants is only 鈥渙ne possible scenario鈥.
But Ingham and the Green Party stand by their conclusion that GM organisms can
have unintended effects, and that more testing is needed.
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