Indian farmers slam decision to conduct GM Bt Brinjal trials.

[Jagannath Chatterjee]

Indian Farmers' Leader, Dr Krishan Bir Chaudhary's letter to GEAC
chairman on the proposed field trials of BT BRINJAL

Dr Chaudhary's contact mobile : 09810331366

BHARAT KRISHAK SAMAJ ( FARMERS§ FORUM INDIA )
Chairman: A-1,Nizamuddin West,
Dr. BAL RAM JAKHAR New Delhi-110013
Governor, Madhya Pradesh Phone:24359508,
Telefax: 24359509
Executive Chairman Email:bksnd@... Dr. KRISHAN BIR
CHAUDHARY Former Chairman, State Farms Corporation of India May 31,
2006

To

Shri B S Parsheera Chairperson, Genetic Engineering Approval
Committee [GEAC]
Ministry of Environment & Forests
Paryavaran Bhawan, CGO Complex
Lodhi Road, New Delhi

Dear Shri Parsheera

Sub: Bt Brinjal Large Scale Field Trials – Consideration of
application for permission by GEAC

This is with regard to the Agenda Item No. 4.2 in the GEAC meeting
dated 1/6/2006 which says that GEAC will consider permission for seed
production and Large Scale Trials of Bt Brinjal of 4 Mahyco hybrids
in this meeting.

In this regard, we would like to bring to your notice that the GEAC
is yet to act and fix liability on the various biosafety violations
and irregularities brought to your notice by civil society
organizations, including on a Bt Brinjal limited field trial in
Andhra Pradesh. While turning a blind eye to the harsh realities
related to serious regulatory failures, you seem to be ready to go
all out to support the industry in its profit-making endeavours.

Given that there are many studies on adverse health effects with many
GM crops from all over the world, what is the assurance that the
right questions have been asked in this case to arrive at the right
answers with regard to the safety of these crops? We have found that
Bt Cotton, which was upheld through your tests to be safe to human
health [amongst other things] is indeed causing a lot of health
problems amongst farm workers and ginning factory workers. Similarly,
there were recent reports on the mortality of livestock after grazing
on Bt Cotton. It is not clear how GEAC is assessing such
possibilities as part of its biosafety testing regime nor how is it
acting at least on such reports by commissioning detailed independent
investigations once these preliminary reports are out.

It would be disastrous for this country to rush into approvals just
because a prescribed set of tests for a prescribed period have been
completed as per some procedures laid down. There has never been a
serious public debate initiated on the adequacy of such a biosafety
regime and even though there is a Supreme Court case pending
precisely on this matter, the GEAC seems to be in a great hurry to
approve even GM food crops like vegetable

crops, for reasons that are not clear at all. This is especially
surprising in all those crops where safer, inexpensive and farmer-
controlled options like IPM, NPM and Organic are in place,
successfully practiced and established all over the country.

The data presented by the company on various studies done in Bt
Brinjal was put up by the GEAC only this morning [31/5/06] and
considering that this is a very important food/vegetable crop of the
country, there should be at least 90 days allowed for feedback on the
biosafety tests and their findings. Secondly, the data put up is not
adequate for an intelligent and scientific debate to take place since
it only has findings without details of the research design and
protocol in each case. We demand that full reports on each test be
presented and not just findings.

We also demand that the GEAC show its accountability to the public by
sharing what improvements have been made in its biosafety protocols,
in its monitoring systems and in its accountability systems, before
giving any more permissions for trials, given your proven inability
to ensure biosafety in this country. Here, we would like to remind
you that it was during such field trials that illegal Bt Cotton and
rapid contamination of the Cotton chain began in this country and
GEAC could only wring its hands in helplessness. The dangerous and
unscientific manner in which field trials take place in this country
tell us that we are only one step away from a huge bio-disaster
wreaked on Indian agriculture.

To sum up, we once again demand that the complete set of data on Bt
Brinjal including the testing protocol [and not just findings] be put
up for public feedback, that at least 90 days be provided for such
feedback, that such feedback be taken on board with all the
seriousness it deserves, that clearly-needed improvements be made in
the testing regime and monitoring systems and shown to be made to the
public before any permission for any more trials in the open
environment are given in the country.


Yours Sincerely,
Krishan Bir Chaudhary (Executive Chairman)
----------------
Suresh Motwani
Agronomist
ISAP RC - Central
Cell: 09329450167
Email: suresh@...
Web: www.isapindia.org

"Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." -  Aurobindo.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com