This is part of a trial series
Canned Tuna in New World Supermarket, New Zealand
03/26/2009
New Zealand says ‘yes’ to commercial whaling
New Zealanders are against whaling. Even their own government opposes whaling. So then, why has John Key’s government supported commercial whaling during the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting this weekend? The response is to “work to reduce the number of whales that are killed”. How this works out is a mystery.
According to Greenpeace New Zealand oceans campaigner Karli Thomas "our national values are under increasing attack by John Key’s government. First mining in our national parks and now it’s supporting a return to whaling. What’s next on the list? Nuclear ships in our harbours?" To hear Key’s full response click here.
This decision could give Japan the go-ahead to whaling after its controversial hunting "strategies" were exposed by Greenpeace activists Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki, known as the Tokyo Two. Over the next four days defense witnesses will back up Greenpeace’s claims on this issue. You can read the facts and join the whale trial pledge here.
But it doesn’t stop here. New Zealand’s destructive relationship with the sea fauna goes even further. Karli Thomas warned this weekend in New Zealand’s TV station TVNZ that scallop stocks in the country are on the verge of collapsing, which comes as news to New Zealanders, who believe that popular species found in their fish and chips are not endangered.
There are strange genes in my soup
Genetically modified crops are growing roots inside European markets after the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) approved the introduction of GM crops such as the Amflora potato. This is raising concerns over the possible long-term environmental impacts, as Chantal Jouanno, a junior minister in the French government, said to Reuters. This has created a tsunami of opposition across borders, especially in Germany where the GM potato Amflora has been developed. One of the main concerns is the labeling by which the public will be informed of whether the food they are buying is GM or not. Greenpeace campaigner Laura Kelly told AAP that "the reality is that we are eating GM all the time without our knowledge".
photo credit: © Greenpeace / Nigel Marple