The decision on whether forestry research institute Scion will be able to grow genetically modified pine trees now rests with a panel of industry experts.

The Environmental Risk Management Authority hearing into Scion’s proposal finished in Rotorua on Tuesday afternoon.

Scion Group Manager of Bioproduct Development Elspeth McRae says field tests are a crucial part of GM trials.

“We need to be able to grow these trees in an environment that’s as similar as possible to what they would encounter in a forest. Not in a laboratory, there are only some things we can do in a laboratory, and obviously we can’t grow trees to normal tree behaviour inside a glasshouse.”

Anti-GM campaigners are strongly opposing the application. 

GE Free New Zealand spokesperson Jon Carapiet says Scion’s assurances the trees will be totally contained don’t stack up.

“Despite all the promises from the applicant, Scion, and the ERMA review team, saying ‘look, we’ll never allow these plants to develop pollen and release it into New Zealand’s environment’ I believe, over 25 years, with up to 4000 trees over that time, mistake will happen.”

But Dr McRae says those sorts of claims are unfounded.

“We believe that’s a negligible risk, and we have outlined that in our application, as to why it’s negligible. The key reason is it is in containment and there will be no reproductive structures reproduced.”