Summary of Staff Assessment Report APP203514: An application to - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Summary of Staff Assessment Report

APP203514: An application to seek approval to release the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, Glomus iranicum var. tenuihypharum in New Zealand

10 May 2019

The application 2

• Symborg Business Development S.L. lodged an application to the

Environmental Protection Authority on 3 October 2018 to release the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Glomus iranicum var. tenuihypharum.

• The application was publicly notified. The EPA received 6

submissions with all in opposition. Five submitters indicated they wish to be heard.

Glomus iranicum var. tenuihypharum

• Isolated in Spain
• Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)
• Lacks aerial spores, propagates through

contact of spores, mycelium or vesicles with the roots of a new host plant

• Obligatory symbiont
• Cannot be cultured in lab
• Non-GMO
• Used in over 30 countries

3

Light micrographs of spores, APP203514 application form.

Risk/benefits assessment 4

• We assessed the risks and benefits of releasing this organism in New

Zealand, assuming the successful establishment of self-sustaining populations.

• We assessed the risks and benefits to:
• the environment,
• market economy,
• people and communities,
• Māori and their relationship with the environment, and
• public health.

Environmental benefits 5

• Improved salinity resistance, nutrient uptake, growth and biochemical

performance of target plant species - agricultural crops

• Promotion of root expansion and root volume/density
• Potential conservational tool for native plants and coasts
• The magnitude of effects would depend on the location and the extent of
• application. While benefits are likely to occur, we estimated the

environmental benefits to be minor (national level) to moderate (localised)

Economic benefits 6

• Improved farm productivity, profitability and value through improved

yield, shorter timeframes for plants to mature and larger fruits

• Improved sustainability of agricultural systems and reduction in

farming input costs associated with fertiliser usage

• We concluded that benefits to the market economy would be likely

and determined the magnitude of benefits to be minor (national scale) and moderate (localised or regional).

Environmental risks 7

• Non-target impacts on native plant species such as improving

environmental conditions and fitness of invasive weeds

• Competition between G. i. var. tenuihypharum and native fungi
• Displacement of native fungi in non-application zones
• We considered it unlikely for G. i. var. tenuihypharum to disturb or

modify ecosystems adversely. Any effects would be minimal, localised.

• We concluded there would be low to negligible indirect adverse

effects and the magnitude of the effects to be minimal to minor.

Economic risks 8

• Impose high carbon demands on host plants and limit their growth

= reduced yield = increase in costs attributed to fertiliser use

• Increase in costs attributed to herbicide use

= improved env conditions for weeds = weed proliferation = increase in costs to control / eradicate weeds

• We concluded that there is a minor risk to the market economy

but the effects would be negligible indirect adverse effects and we considered these to be unlikely.

Summary of our assessment 9

Keys areas Likelihood Magnitude / Effect

Benefits

Environment (scale)

• Local to regional
• National

Likely Likely Minor / Medium Minor / Medium Economy (scale)

• Local to regional
• National

Likely Likely Moderate / High Minor / Low

Risks

Environment

• Displacement of native AMF
• Making plants invasive

Likely Unlikely Minor / Low Minimal/Minor / Negligible Economy Unlikely Minor / Negligible

Relationship of Māori to the Environment 10

• Kaupapa Kura Taiao completed a cultural risk assessment of the application and

concluded the potential benefits of Glomus iranicum var. tenuihypharum are likely to

• utweigh the risks/costs
• The potential risks to Māori interests would probably be acceptable
• There are some significant uncertainties and information gaps that remain. The

uncertainties are in relation to potential impacts on native fungal species and wider ecosystem effects.

Minimum standards

• We assessed the release of Glomus iranicum var. tenuihypharum against the minimum

standards (s36) in the HSNO Act.

• We concluded that Glomus iranicum var. tenuihypharum meets the minimum standards.

Recommendation 11

• We found the benefits of releasing Glomus iranicum var.

tenuihypharum outweigh the risks and costs.

• We determined Glomus iranicum var. tenuihypharum meets the

minimum standards.

• We recommend the decision-making committee approve the

release of Glomus iranicum var. tenuihypharum.

For more information contact:

General enquiries Phone +64 4 916 2426 Fax +64 4 914 0433 info@epa.govt.nz