New Zealand trades on the perception we are GM free, yet there is a fine line somewhere (in that we don’t grow GM plants), when considering that our $10 billion dairy industry has bought into GM — something rarely spoken of by the media, Government or Fonterra. AgResearch’s Daisy the cow’s potential to produce allergen-free milk has spurred controversy around genetic modification and, a belief if her milk was launched, this would have a negative impact on New Zealand’s dairy image. The public perception is that our milk is produced from a diet of water, grass and sunshine, supplemented during winter with home-grown silage. The reality is, though, that dairy cows receive thousands of tonnes of GM meal in their mixes. A large shipment of Australian GM cotton seed meal destined for New Zealand’s dairy herds landed in South Canterbury recently.