The Soil & Health Association is concerned crown forest research institute Scion is treating a pending GE research project as a fait accompli.

Scion has yet to gain approval from the Environmental Risk Management Authority for a project involving 4000 genetically engineered pine trees, but that hasn’t stopped it from enlarging its field trial site near Rotorua in preparation.

Soil and Health spokesman Steffan Browning says the order of events suggests a dangerous level of collusion between research bodies and ERMA.

"They intend to give an application to ERMA, but the level of confidence of getting that ticked through is such that they’re spending very big money extending that field trial facility.

"If they weren’t going to get it, there’s no way they would spend that amount of money fencing such a large area – it’s a huge investment."

Scion currently has permission to work with 200 GE herbicide resistant pine trees on the Rotorua site.