Attempts to shut down a scientific report critical of AgResearch’s practices at its genetic engineering laboratories have been revealed through the company’s internal documents. [...] Correspondence made available to The Dominion Post under the Official Information Act reveals that staff who saw a draft of Prof Heinemann’s critical report found it to be ”at face value quite damaging”. [...] Staff then decided on a plan of action, involving asking Prof Heinemann for more time to respond to a copy of the draft report he had shared with them, working up a ”media position”, bringing the report up with the risk and audit committee, and finding international experts who could refute the claims.