If New Zealand chose not to approve the use of GM grasses developed by Pastoral Genomics, no economic penalty is expected as a non-GM technique could provide the same projected gains.
Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) could deliver equal economic benefits without the risk of triggering the type of consumer resistance that GM food has provoked.
Documents released to the Sustainability Council under the Official Information Act provide the first detailed analysis of the economics of genetically modified grasses to become public. They reveal how surprisingly thin the projected benefits are even when just considering it as an investment.
The Council’s analysis is set out in a report entitled Betting the Farm.
