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As
we head toward Christmas 2005 and the New
Year fast approaches it is time to reflect
on a year that has been very busy, with a
number of positives and a few disappointments
and tragedies. |
Firstly a tribute to the tremendous work of the
late Rod Donald, the Green Party co-leader who
passed away recently.
Rod Donald the Member of Parliament was a very
enthusiastic and positive person who cared about
the people of New Zealand and the environment.
Rod played an active role in the activities of
the Anti Bases Campaign and the Campaign against
Foreign Control of Aotearoa, committing time and
energy to a multitude of worthy causes. He was
a truly remarkable man who will be sadly missed.
With
the make up of the new government it is very interesting
to note that the former Minister of Health Annette
King, now the Minister of Police still maintains
the Food Safety portfolio. Year after year, we
have staunchly and repeatedly stated our opposition
to the harsh restrictions on food supplements
being sought by the European Union through the
Codex Alimentarius Commission. Now we hear that
the government is denying New Zealanders the right
to know where their food comes from.
As
Minster for Food safety Annette King is certainly
continuing with her Codex Alimentarius trans-Tasman
Therapeutic Goods Agency Treaty, multinational
pharmaceutical, monopoly agenda, to ban effective
dietary supplements and restrict natural healthcare
therapies as well as implementing restrictions
to deny New Zealanders the right to know the country
of origin of the food they are eating.
Food
Safety Minister Annette King has announced that
the Government will not implement Food Standard
Australia New Zealand’s (FSANZ) standard
for mandatory country-of-origin labelling (CoOL)
of food, saying, “mandatory CoOL is potentially
an unnecessary barrier to international trade”.
This is a continuation of this Minister’s
arrogance a continuance to do what and when she
likes. The Australian government has already announced
that it will adopt the measure, yet our New Zealand
Protector of the people has determined that we
do not need to have this fundamental right.
New Zealand has mandatory country-of-origin labelling
for wine, clothing and footwear, yet we have no
process to determine where the food we put in
our mouth originates.
The
majority of our major trading partners, including
the USA, the European Union, Canada and Australia,
already have mandatory country-of-origin labelling
on imported food.
New
Zealanders who take responsibility for their own
health and wellbeing would agree that the time
is long passed for Minister Annette King to be
removed from any portfolio involved with health.
New
Zealand food sent to Australia must be labelled
as ‘Made in New Zealand’, but food
coming the other way does not require labelling
to determine its Australian state of origin.
This situation totally disadvantages New Zealand
growers in both markets.
This
action also breaches the principles of the joint
trans-Tasman food standards, namely that consumers
shall have access to adequate information to make
informed purchasing decisions. It is bizarre that
on the one hand the Government has promised to
work on a Buy Kiwi-Made programme, and on the
other hand is denying consumers the ability to
find out via a label whether food has been produced
locally or imported.
Neither
Mrs King nor her government has provided any credible
reason for refusing to adopt the joint labelling
standard. Under the Food Safety Australia and
New Zealand treaty, New Zealand can only opt out
of a standard if there are ‘exceptional
health, safety, third country trade, environmental
or cultural factors. The government has not provided
any such reason.
According
to Green Party Health and Food Safety Spokesperson
Sue Kedgley “Clearly the government is only
refusing to implement the mandatory standard because
it is putting its free trade agenda ahead of consumers’
right to know.
Consumers
want to buy New Zealand-grown produce to support
local growers and avoid the environmental damage
caused by transporting food long distance. But
the Government is denying them the information
they need to make such ethical choices. In the
absence of a country-of-origin label, many consumers
assume the produce they buy is locally produced
and have no idea so much of it is imported.
We
have a right to know whether we are eating an
Australian leg of lamb or a New Zealand one? Or
whether we are eating New Zealand or Chinese garlic?
Imported produce is not tested to see whether
it contains illegal pesticide, other residues
or is fumigated with methyl bromide. That is another
reason why consumers have a right to know whether
their produce is imported or not. It would appear
that Sue Kedgley cares about what the people of
New Zealand are eating and where it originates.
So where on earth does Annette King reside. It
is time for this person to be relieved of her
duties immediately.
On
a lighter note I would like to take this opportunity
to thank all of our supporters for their fortitude
and perseverance over the last year in expressing
your concerns and views to form a more solid base
to speak out for our freedom of health choices.
The trans-Tasman Therapeutic Goods Agency Treaty
to ultimately harmonise to the harshly restrictive
Codex vitamin-and-mineral standards cannot be
allowed to succeed, and we at the New Zealand
Charter of Health Practitioners Incorporated completely
oppose this treaty that will destroy our freedom
of health choices.
It is imperative that everyone in New Zealand
is made aware of what this trans-Tasman Therapeutic
Goods Agency Treaty with Australia and its regulations
will mean to them.
In
the New Year we will be gearing up to direct more
attention toward putting and end to this marriage
made in hell. We will be initiating a campaign
to inform every single New Zealander that they
are being sold a bill of goods that must be rejected.
More importantly, we will be doing our utmost
to have the government disapprove of the treaty
in its entirety, which we hope will be sent expeditiously
to its rightful place in the grave.
Summary
Now we hear that the government is denying New
Zealanders the right to know where their food
comes from.
Food Safety Minister Annette King has announced
that the Government will not implement Food Standard
Australia New Zealand’s (FSANZ) standard
for mandatory country-of-origin labelling (CoOL)
of food, saying, “mandatory CoOL is potentially
an unnecessary barrier to international trade”.
Neither Mrs King nor her government has provided
any credible reason for refusing to adopt the
joint labelling standard. Under the Food Safety
Australia and New Zealand treaty, New Zealand
can only opt out of a standard if there are ‘exceptional
health, safety, third country trade, environmental
or cultural factors.
The government has not provided any such reason.
The
trans-Tasman Therapeutic Goods Agency Treaty to
ultimately harmonise to the harshly restrictive
Codex vitamin-and-mineral standards cannot be
allowed to succeed, and we at the New Zealand
Charter of Health Practitioners Incorporated completely
oppose this treaty that will destroy our freedom
of health choices.
Our Big Brother Government Really Cares
About Us! Understandably more and more
of us are becoming frustrated with our government-controlled
health care system. Our big brother government
however has concluded that taking vitamins, minerals,
and other dietary supplements might help us remain
healthy and therefore less dependent on the government
health system.
Health
conscious individuals use dietary supplements
because they can purchase them freely without
government interference in the form of doctors,
prescriptions. In other words, they choose to
use natural safe dietary supplements because they
make their own healthcare choices and are not
a charge on the government health system.
This
government through its ministry of health bureaucracy
are determined to regulate dietary supplements
in the same manner as lethal, life destroying
prescription drugs. The New Zealand Ministry of
Health’s Therapeutic Section (Medsafe) presents
New Zealanders with a false sense of security.
By
New Zealand cooperating with the Australian Therapeutic
Goods Agency and the Codex Alimentarius Commission
dictates, our government is blatantly ignoring
the will of the people.
The
Australian Therapeutic Goods Agency (TGA) and
also our Ministry of Health (Medasfe) like all
government agencies, consistently use their regulatory
powers in political ways.
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