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Risks of GM Mustard Revealed in New Report
- 1. Your Food is at Risk!
- 2. Coalition for a GM-Free India www.indiagminfo.org Delhi University’s GM Mustard Risks and Threats
- 3. Your Food is at Risk!
- 4. Background As per media reports, a Genetically Modified Mustard variety is on the verge of commercial cultivation in India The objective of this Presentation is to facilitate an informed public debate about this GMO – GM Mustard hybrid DMH 11 or DU’s GM Mustard. Bt Brinjal debate followed by an indefinite Moratorium on GMOs in 2010 BRAI Bill for setting up of an independent, single window regulator for easy and speedy clearances of GM crops tabled in 2013 Scientists to Submit GM Mustard Report to Government. May 19th 2015. Reuters Business News. http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/05/19/india-gmo-trials-idINKBN0O40AY20150519 accessed on May 28, 2015
- 5. 2002 – BT Cotton introduced in India 2002 - GM Mustard by ProAgro a subsidary of Bayer rejected by Indian regulators due to various concerns Only one GM Crop BT Cotton cultivated commercially in India. Developers call it a commercial success. Many reports have linked BT Cotton to farmer suicides, however Many GM Crops like Corn, Soya, Wheat, Brinjal, okra, Potato, Sorghum etc. under field trials in India Oct 2009 - GEAC approved BT Brinjal for commercial cultivation Feb 2010 - Decision overturned by MoEF and an indefinite moratorium imposed on GM Crops, post public consultations in 7 cities, citing insufficient safety data on BT Brinjal
- 6. Public Sector GM Mustard is a Trojan horse to clear the doorway for private sector GM Crops belonging to powerful companies like Monsanto. Monsanto’s stated objective – “By 2020, no food shall be grown that we do not own”. Politics of food control via seed patenting and IPRs. Perceived as a threat to national sovereignty as powerful nations dictate food policies, food stocks and food subsidies of developing nations via FTAs and WTO policies unlike ever before.
- 7. 2002- Two years after the first big harvests of RR soy (GM) in Argentina, serious health effects including high rates of birth defects as well as infertility, stillbirths, miscarriages, and cancers were reported. Source: Fr. Peter’s Environmental Notes False claims around yield and pesticide usage Increased Pesticide Usage Farmer suicides unabated. 10 years of Bt cotton in India– False Hype and Failed Promises, http://indiagminfo.org/?p=393 Serious Health effects In GM Corn and Soya cultivated areas Canola Oil is not healthy Jivo asked to withdraw the advertisements Making unsubstantiated claims regarding Health benefits of Canola oil in Dec 2014 http://indiagminfo.org/?p=813 http://omega6.wellwise.org/canola-oil- gmo-and-allergies RO Vles and others. Nutritional Evaluation of Low-Erucic-Acid Rapeseed Oils. Toxicological Aspects of Food Safety, Archives of Toxicology, Supplement 1, 978:23-32
- 8. Brassica (rapeseed/mustard) is the most important edible oilseed crop in India. Lowest amounts of saturated fatty acids and contain adequate amounts of linoleic and linolenic fatty acids. Conversion rate from seeds to oil is 33%. (Higher than other oilseeds like Soyabean, Groundnut etc. Conversion rate to oilseed cake (used for cattle feed as well as soil fertility input) is 67%.
- 9. 1950-51 3.68 Quintals/ha (irrigation data not available) 1990-91 9.04 Quintals/ha (under irrigation) 2012-13 12.62 Quintals/ha (under irrigation) Rajasthan 48.12% Madhya Pradesh 11.31% Haryana 11.06% Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Assam, Bihar, Punjab are other important mustard producing states Main Mustard producing States Gujarat – a whopping 16.95 quintals/ha in 2012-13 Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2014. Table 4.18(b). pp111. Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. http://eands.dacnet.nic.in/PDF/Agricultural-Statistics-At-Glance2014.pdf Average Yields
- 10. Indian Mustard is not just an oil seed, it is also a vegetable crop Main Reasons for the 2010 Bt Brinjal /GM food Moratorium 1) Chronic Toxicity 2) Lack of Independent Credible Testing 3) An independent regulatory body http://www.moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/minister_REPORT.pdf
- 11. Mustard and its uses are documented in Ayurvedic literature like Caraka Saṃhitā, Suśruta Saṃhitā, Bhela Saṃhitā and Kāśyapa Saṃhitā. Medicinal properties are ascribed to it in the ancient texts of Atharva Veda. The applications of mustard seeds, oil and leaves in diet and medicine have been indisputably established in Ayurvedic practice. The numerous uses and benefits are beyond the scope of the current presentation
- 12. 70 Crores of public money has been spent on development of GM Mustard. If approved more would be spent on promotion, quite possibly via public schemes. The yields of hybrid varieties developed via traditional systems are equivalent or more than this GM Mustard. The Ministry of Agriculture has recently standardized the seed production technology of Indian mustard hybrid NRC Sankar Sarson which yields 2.4 tonnes per hectare. Ref: http://agricoop.nic.in/Annual%20report2012-13/ARE2012-13.pdf Agronomic practices like System of Mustard Intensification can yield up to 2.5 tonnes to 3 tonnes per hectare. When all principles of SRI were used, yields touched 4 tonnes per hectare! (Such evidence has been collected from experience of around 1600 farmers, with government machinery supporting the effort in Bihar)
- 13. Warped Import Policies - Duties have been cut drastically from a bound rate of 300 per cent to almost zero now, encouraging cheaper imports of various edible oils. Possibly as a consequence of such cheap imports, an average Indian consumes double the edible oil recommended by doctors in their caution against health problems like cardiac illnesses Policy Solutions Raising import tariffs to stop cheap edible oil from flooding the market Providing an economic price to mustard farmers Proper processes for procurement of Mustard produce
- 14. “The matter for permitting trials of transgenic crops has indeed been fraught with concerns as no unanimity has arrived at, either in their favour or against them. The government has taken a view to wait until a national consensus is evolved. It has also been decided that discussions should be held with all stake holders and to reach to a general agreement on the controversy.” Government of Rajasthan on withdrawing the NOC Agriculture is a state subject. Haryana – No NOC for GM mustard trials so far. Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan do not want trials of GM Mustard. 2012 - Rajasthan state government withdrew its NOC and issued directions for terminating the trials by burning the crops.
- 15. The claims, technology and testing processes are similar to DU’s GM mustard. The rationale used by the regulators in 2002/3 remains pertinent irrespective of public or private sector genesis of the GMO. Health safety not established. No safety data on mustard leaf was provided. LIES ABOUT YIELD: The yield increase as per ICAR was only 5% and not in the 16- 23% range over he best check Varuna in different GM hybrids as claimed. LIES ABOUT POLLEN FLOW: ICAR Showed pollen flow upto 75 metres more than double of the 35 metres reported by the company. The use of Bar gene as a marker gene, increased weediness and consequent use of more toxic persistent herbicides. Mustard being an edible crop, important policy issues related to labeling, traceability etc not established GEAC in 2003 The conclusions were based on the data presented by the company, without any independent scrutiny, fresh data analysis or evaluation.
- 16. Pollinators and Honey Bees • Mustard is Highly attractive to Bees. • GM crops impact non-target organisms like honey bees and butterflies. • Pollinators are vital to farm productivity • Bee presence is lowest in GM fields. • Organic fields three times more abundance • Genetic Engineering process brings about both qualitative and quantitative changes in nectar or pollen composition as well as interference in the plant biochemical pathways that potentially impact pollinators • Lora A Morandin and Mark L Winston (2005): Wild bee abundance and seed production in conventional, organic and genetically modified canola. Ecological Applications 15:871-81 http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/03-5271
- 17. •GM Mustard is a matter of great concern as it would impact the pollinators •Bharatpur is the second largest honey collecting areas in India. Exactly the same yield increase has been reported in GM Mustard, Bharatpur Field Trials!
- 18. GM Mustard similarly uses the technology of herbicide tolerance even if garbed as high-yielding. This is particularly dangerous in the Indian context where there is almost no end-use regulation of agro-chemicals.
- 19. DU’s GM Mustard is also herbicide tolerant. Similar Barnase Barstar system has been used to create GM Mustard http://www.gmoseralini.org/new- seralini-study-shows-roundup- damages-sperm/
- 20. Round-up Ready GM crops use herbicides Super Weeds Horrific Birth defects, reproductive disorders Chaco, Argentina Congenital malformations in newborns in Paraguay caused by Glyphosate exposure. Glyphosate - Endocrine disruption, non- Hodgkin’ s Lymphoma, Nervous system disorder, Parkinson’s disease etc. A direct toxic effect on amphibians, aquatic animals and the entire environment Glufosinate toxic to pollinators and beneficial insects EFSA (2005) * *Conclusion regarding the peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance: glufosinate. Europ ean FoodSafetyAuthority. EFSA Scientific Report 27: 1- - 81. http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/27 r.pdf. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Developmental+and+ dysmorphogenic+effects+of+glufosinate+ammonium +on+ mouse+embryos+in+culture ; Check pp41-65 for herbicides’ impacts in this compilation: http://indiagminfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Sci-ref-complete-book-2nd-edition.pdf
- 21. Mustard is Both Self and Cross Pollinating Plant. Tiny Seeds easily carried away by wind Contamination Possibilities over short and long distance through cross pollination via bees and other carriers. Seeds remain viable for years and could be transferred through Feral plants and other volunteers. The cultivation, even field trials of GM threatens other varieties of the crop. This would endanger the availability of safe and Organic Mustard, permanently and irrevocably Deepak Pental to journalists of DTE magazine ““it is wrong to claim that transgenes won’t move to non-transgenic material. If you have a selection over it like a herbicide, then they spread very quickly “ “ the non-transgenic Brassica juncea as well as Brassica rapa that is grown in eastern India can ‘receive’ these genes. An End of Choice to Farmers and Consumers. The cultivation, even field trials of GM threatens other varieties of the crop. Mustard is especially susceptible, This would endanger the availability of safe and Organic Mustard. GM Mustard Fild Trials Flout SC Orders Even though ICAR found contamination at 75 meters in the case of Pro-Agro’s GM mustard, the isolation distance prescribed at present for GM mustard trials is only 50 meters. Contamination Risks
- 22. The cultivation of GM Mustard will threaten all other varieties of Mustard with contamination. This would endanger the availability of safe and Organic Mustard, permanently and irrevocably. 2002-GM oilseed Rape got imported into France from the Canada. 2004-Japanese port areas as well as prefectures far from the import locations contaminated with GM rapeseed Unauthorized GM mustard growth was found along railway lines along borders with Italy and France, till oilseed processing factories in Switzerland. Organic Rapeseed cultivation not possible in Canada due to large scale contamination 2008- GM oilseed rape cross-fertilised with a distantly related weed plant, charlock, discovered in a follow up study after 2 years of a 3-year research! Unauthorized GM material. Found in conventional variety. www.theguardian.com/science/2005/jul/25/gm.food 2010-GM Herbicide Tolerance (both glyphosate and glufosinate) discovered in wild plants n North Dakota., introduced into nature without intent or approval. www.nature.com/news/2010/100806/full/news.2010.393.html. 2012/13- GM contaminations discovered in S.Korea and Switzerland. GM Rapeseed cultivation is not authorised in these countries www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4274136
- 23. Many instances of farmers being sued by companies like Monsanto. 1998-Schmeiser an organic canola farmer for 40 years was sued along with numerous other farmers by Monsanto for patent infringement. Most farmers settled but Schmeiser won after a 10 year legal battle. Monsanto was found guilty of contamination and releasing GM Crops in nature without control. 2010- Steve Marsh, an Australian wheat farmer lost his organic status due to contamination from a neighbor’s GM canola field . Marsh lost , when the judge ruled that the neighbor could not be held responsible. The case has gone on appeal to a higher court in 2015. Its apparent that GM rapeseed-mustard would be impossible to contain – biologically, it would contaminate non-GM varieties apart from crossing with wild relatives; it would spread as physical admixtures to unexpected and distant locations too. * * Becky Price and Janet Cotter (2014): The GM Contamination Register: A review of recorded contamination incidents associated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), 1997-2013. International Journal of Food Contamination. October 2014. 1:5. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186%2Fs40550-014-0005-8
- 24. India is a signatory to the Cartagena protocol, 2000 and has committed to protect the Centre of Diversity from GM Crop contamination. This was one of the reasons for the BT Brinjal moratorium amongst many others. India has a tremendous Mustard diversity. The Directorate of Rapeseed- Mustard Research (DRMR) alone has 1868 accessions of Indian Mustard. Further, around 12755 accessions of rapeseed-mustard are available in India. Although its been established* that India is the Centre of Diversity of Mustard, attempts are being made to prove otherwise. The Supreme Court’s TEC, in its majority report, in the year 2013 had asked for GM research to be stopped for all those crops for which India is the Centre of Origin and/or Diversity. *R S Paroda and R K Arora (Eds) (1991): Plant Genetic Resources – Conservation and Management. International Board for Plant Genetic Resources. http://www.bioversityinternational.org/fileadmin/ bioversity/publications/Web_version/174/ch05.htm
- 25. History of bending rules and norms, and compromising on bio-safety assessment. Public sector Bt cotton variety is mired in an ownership controversy and lead to its withdrawal.* * Sopory Committee report A 2007 Supreme Court order has specified zero tolerance for contamination for GMOS The GEAC has been lax with bio-safety measures for GM Mustard, for instance prescribing only a 50-metre isolation for the trials Neha Kunjwal, Yogesh Kumar and M S Khan (2014): Flower visiting insect pollinators of Brown Mustard Brassica juncea (L.) Czern and Coss and their foraging behavior under caged and open pollination. African Journal of Agricultural Research. Vol. 9(16), pp.1278-86 Processes for Trials of Non GM Seeds are more rigorous than the the ones used for GM Mustard Is health and food safety less important if crop is developed by a Public Sector entity?
- 26. Have the BRL II trials been approved in the absence of satisfactory safety data? Supreme court orders ignored Data on field trials not available in public domain Testing regime not in place GEAC functioning very opaquely withholding minutes of the meeting etc. RTI applications turned down repeatedly. If the safety trials were indeed satisfactory, then why the secrecy?
- 27. The developer of GM Mustard Mr. Deepak Pental has court cases and negative charges pending against him. Department of Science and Technology revealed that it has no idea where the GM lines in this high profile case came from, and who gave permission for research. Delhi University’s Gene Mystery.* *Latha Jishnu in Down To Earth. February 15th 2015. http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/delhi- universitys-gene-mystery accessed on May 30, 2015 Pental is the official applicant and crop developer in the case of the GM mustard that has reached BRL II stage. The developer has plagiarism charges against him . A court case with charges on the developer of this GM Mustard for using such ‘hazardous material’ without regulatory approval and for stealing GM seeds from the laboratory of another Delhi University Professor called P Pardha Saradhi .The case is against Pental and Prasad, for Prasad stealing seed of CodA transgenic Indian mustard.
- 28. The dangerous and unsustainable GM technology must be banned. Organic Farming What are you going to do?
Hinweis der Redaktion
- The presentation is brought to you by The Coalition for a GM Free India in public interest. The coalition for a GM Free India is a not for profit entity run and supported by concerned groups, citizens and volunteers. Please visit our website www.indiagminfo.org for data, news stories, articles, reports, presentations and information related to GMO.
- The health consequences of eating genetically modified crops and their derivatives are known to be dangerous. Lab rats refuse to eat GM food and have shown disorders related to reproductive organs, liver, kidneys, heart, digestion, skin etc. GM Mustard will put into question the Safety of every thing cooked in Mustard including the common favourites Sarson ka saag, pickles, Baghra baingan, Machar Jhol and besan pakoras. Your inaction might open the floodgates for numerous food crops pushing against the doors. The most common GMO food crops being cultivated in the world are corn, soy and canola. Potatoes, tomatoes, papayas to sugar, rice, Maize, Okra and many more are a whiskers breath away from approvals for commercial cultivation.
- In 2010, taking into cognizance the public opinion and the many reasons for rejecting GM in food; the Government of India placed an indefinite moratorium on the cultivation of Bt brinjal. 2013 saw the tabling of the Bio technology Regulatory Authority of India or the BRAI bill. The bill proposed setting up of a single window GMO clearance system under the Ministry of Science and Technology, bypassing the right of the state governments and the people of the country to decide and choose. The proposed bill went to the extremes of recommending penalizing those who raised safety concerns instead of the transgressors or the bio-tech industry. This bill received widespread opposition from green citizens and lapsed in the 16th loksabha. Now another Genetically engineered food crop is being advanced for commercial cultivation. This is Delhi University’s GM mustard hybrid DMH 11. Here, we give you the various risks and threats associated with this GMO.
- The commercial cultivation of BT Cotton started in India illegally in the year 1998. MoEF Mr. Prakash Javadekar’s batting for GMOS now is reminiscent to the aggressive pushing by T.R. Baalu, Minister for Environment and Forests in 2002; which had lead to the BT Cotton approvals in the year 2002. Today Indian cotton has been completely lost and 95% of cotton in the country is GM. The Cotton seed prices have gone up from the average of Rs. 400 a kilo then to about Rs. 1800 a kilo now. Then farmers could reuse the seeds they saved from the previous harvest but now they have to buy seeds every season. More than 3 lakh farmers have resorted to killing themselves because of impoverishment in the last 15 years. Never in the history of this country farmers had been driven to such desperation. It alleged that that the suicides are much higher in BT Cotton cultivated areas.
- Slide 5 The major bio-tech cmpanies Monsanto, Syngenta, Dupont, Aventis and Dow have stakes in GMOs The GM industry holds a lot of influence and power . According to a Nov 2013 Reuter report, a consortium that includes General Mills, Nestle, PepsiCo and Monsanto contributed roughly $22 million to kill the GM labeling law in USA. Monsanto is the world’s number one and aims at controlling world food.The PR and lobbying budgets for Monsanto alone run into billions of dollars. Monsanto’s annual profit of 22400 crores in the year 2010, is probably more than the GDP of some 48 small countries. Shift to cash crops propelled by so called economic liberaliziation, shrinking farm land and increased cost of farming etc have caused acute economic distress to framers who are being compelled to leave their occupation or take their own lives. These factors have made India more vulnerable to arm twisting by developed nations under the garb of WTO, Free trade agreements etc. Developed nations are now dictating Indian food policies and subsidy budgets. Russia Prime Minister has described GMOs as a form of biological warfare weapon. And here lies the real heart of the matter. Henry Kissinger once said that if you control oil you control nations, but if you control food you control people.
- A World Bank-funded Report, GRAIN has identified that traditional farming and not GMOs can deliver food security in low-income countries. There is no evidence to show that adoption of GM crops improves food security even in countries with large land holdings. On the contrary, the United States of America, the largest adopter of GM crops during the last decade and a half, has experienced increased food insecurity and hunger. For the first time in its modern history, America has 50 million food insecure people. Official data and analysis shows that the pesticide usage, has increased in case of BT Cotton. Leading cotton scientists in the country are recommending non-GM Indian cottons. The coalition for a GM Free India brought out a report in March 2012 which delves into the failure of BT Cotton and its impacts. Last two years have seen flooding of our supermarkets with imported Canola Oil being sold under brand names like Jivo and Hudson. Claims around the health benefits of Canola oil are being made by these brands. This oil has been linked to many diseases. IN 2014, the ASCI directed Jivo canola oil to withdraw its advertising making false and unsubstantiated health claims. Serious health effects have been reported from areas where GM Corn and GM Soya are cultivated. These include Allergies, stunted growth and development, Liver and Kidney damage, immune system impairment, reproductive disorders, Cancers etc.. It’s also documented that soil, water, air and other plants, microorganisms, insects and animals also get very negatively impacted. Just two years after the first big harvest of GM soya in Argentina malformations, tumours and deaths were reported in newborns. This technology is a living technology that cannot be contained geographically or biologically. It has a way of spreading itself in Nature, in irreversible and uncontrollable ways. India has a situation of overflowing granaries and rotting grains and needs farmer friendly policies and better storage and distribution facilities and not GMOs.
- Brassica has taken over soyabean and groundnut and is the most important edible oil crop in India today. The average annual growth rate of has been impressive 3% in area, 7.3% in production and 3.9% in yield in the last 6 years. Mustard oil is reported to have the lowest amounts of saturated fatty acids and contain adequate amounts of linoleic and linolenic fatty acids. Mustard seeds produce more oil as compared to other oil crops. Soyabean oil production was 23.47 lakh tonnes and 19.19 lakh tonnes in 2013 and 14 while R&M hovered upwards of 24.5 Lakh tonnes in both the years.
- Rapeseed-Mustard is an oil-seed, vegetable and also a fodder crop grown on around 7 million hectares of land. a While it is sown as a sole rabi crop in most regions, it is also grown as an intercrop in others. From 0.76 million tonnes in 1951, production has increased over the decades, it touched 8.18 million tonnes in 2011 and was 7.96 million tonnes in 2014 Rajasthan ,Madhya Pradeshand Haryana account for more than 70% of India’s production.
- In north India Mustard leaf is eaten directly as a food. Leaves are used in salads, chutneys and as the very popular and famous main dish sarson da saag. The direct consumption of the GMO as a food product was an important reason for the indefinite moratorium on BT Brinjal. Mustard and its leaves are in fact consumed in more direct ways. The 2010 moratorium order had referred to three important issues 1) chronic toxicity caused by frequent consumption; 2) independent tests that command credibility and not the data provided by the developers themselves and finally the need to have an independent regulatory system that will be in a position to study all aspects of GM technology in agriculture and arrive at a measured conclusion; These issues are equally pertinent in the case of this GM mustard too!
- Mustard has been used both as food and as medicine in Ayurveda. The seeds and oil of mustard are used singly and in various formulations and find references in various ancient texts. Mustard is said to promote muscle growth and stimulate blood circulation making it a perfect massage oil. It helps manage dandruff and hair loss. It is excellent for skin, ear and nasal infections and also provides relief from arthritic problems. Mustard oil is used to massage infants, children, old and the ailing for its health benefits. Would oil derived from GM mustard be as safe to use?
- Yield increase with this GM mustard is no different from yield increases from non-GM hybrids that are already in the market therefore it is apparent that farmers do not need this GMO only the seed manufacturers do. The Ministry of Agriculture has recently standardized the seed production technology of Indian mustard hybrid NRC Sankar Sarson which yields 2.4 tonnes per hectare. Agronomic practices like System of Mustard Intensification can yield much more. Infact, When all principles of SRI were used, yields touched 4 tonnes per hectare This GMO development project is supported by the Ministry of Science & Technology, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the European Union amongst others The latest figure being mentioned is 70 crores of public money has been spent on this unnecessary GMO.
- Its being argued that this GM mustard will bring down indian oil imports. The country has enough oil production and we are probably consuming more oil than the doctors recommend in any case. The cheap imports of edible oils have however been encouraged by the fact that import duties have been cut drastically and the Indian farmers are being forced out of competition. The government can bring the balance back by raising the import tarriffs and assuring a fair market and price to the indian farmer instead of pushing him out of the market.
- The three major mustard-growing states in India have taken a precautionary approach and have not favoured the trials of GM Mustard. Madhya Pradesh has been consistently saying NO to GM field trials in the state. The state government of Haryana has not issued any NOC. In Rajasthan, the government withdrew its NOC during the fag end of second year of Biosafety Research Level I trials, and issued directions for burning the crops immediately. The letter withdrawing the NOC stated: The matter for permitting trials of transgenic crops has indeed being fraught with concerns as no unanimity has been arrived at, either in their favour or against them. \ Following this development, Dr Pental knocked on the doors of the PMO and the GEAC. GEAC in its 116th meeting concluded that once a NOC has been issued, it should not be withdrawn in the interim period without any scientific reasons The state governments’ rejection of GM food crops was one of the important factors for the Bt brinjal moratorium decision in 2010.
- The GEAC In its 36th meeting held in April 2003, concluded that further studies should be taken up to address all biosafety and agronomic issues related to Pro Agro’s GM Mustard . Firstly the company documented that transgenes escaped upto 35m, while the ICAR trials indicated pollen flow upto 75 meters. Secondly While the company showed seed yield increase ranging from 16% to 23% over the best check Varuna in different GM hybrids, ICAR results showed only 5% upwards. Trial studies conducted by the company also showed contamination; Male sterile plants in the progeny population of non-transgenic Brassica growing in the vicinity was observed. The Committee noted this as an important issue that had not been taken into consideration while estimating the transgene spread. The claims, technology and testing processes appear to be similar to DU’s GM mustard. It is apparent that the above rationale used by the regulators in 2002 remains pertinent irrespective of public or private sector genesis of the GMO.
- Insect pollinators play a vital role to increase farm productivity. GM crops leave their impacts on non-target organisms and pollinators like honey bees and butterflies. Attributed to Reduced weed diversity and abundance and poisoning by the chemicals Researches indicate that the Genetic Engineering (GE) process itself can bring about changes in nectar or pollen composition both in quality and quantity. Interference in the plant biochemical pathways that potentially impact pollinators were observed. Morandin and Winston’s s peer reviewed scientific paper from Canada captures the difference in bee abundance between organic, conventional and GM canola and shows that bee abundance was the lowest in the GM fields. It was approximately three times higher in organic fields than in GM HT canola fields. A loss of about six seeds per pod was observed. Organic fields in the study had seed set rates of 99% as compared to 78% in GM fields.
- Honey bees receive both nectar and pollen FROM MUSTARD PLANTS. Bee-keeping in turn also increases the yield of crops by as much as 20-25% - the same range as the claimed yield advantage of GM mustard! Bharatpur is the second largest honey collecting regions in the country, generating more than 1200 tonnes of honey annually. This was one of the sites chosen for the trials.
- Herbicide are synonymous to disease and death. The poisonous pathways can be traced in almost everything around us; seeping down into the ground water, streams and rivers, poisoning birds bees and humans alike. The water we drink, the air we breathe and the food we eat are all systematically being poisoned by herbicides.
- GM crops have been linked to Fibroids Ovarioan Cysts, PCOD, Low sperm counts, inability to conceive, menstrual problems etc. GM technology is dangerous. When coupled with use of herbicides it becomes many times so. Delhi university’s GM Mustard is also herbicide tolerant even if its not sold as such. The barnase/barstar gene system for male sterility and restorer lines has been used The same gene system was also used in the Pro-Agro now Bayer GM Mustard that was rejected in 2003. Many argue that the Pro-Agro GM mustard was also developed for herbicide resistance against glufosinate, using the Bar gene, though the official claim stated yield increase. GM Mustard also has the bar gene and a phospho nithricin resistance-coding gene, ostensibly as a marker but it is also herbicide-resistant to glufosinate ammonium sold under brand names Liberty, Basta etc. It is unclear if the patents for bar gene continue to be owned by Bayer Crop Science or its associated companies.
- In India, various government-commissioned, Parliamentary and Court-appointed Committees have repeatedly recommended against herbicide tolerant crops. The initial publications of the crop developers reveal that the purpose of development of this GM mustard was primarily to induce herbicide tolerance! While Delhi they might choose to apply for permission under the garb of a high-yielding trait. The self proclaimed, ultimate killing machine depends on the use of dangerous chemicals Glyphosate and Glufosinate. Slide 6 highlighted the birth defects seen in newborns just two years after the first bumper crop of Herbicide tolerant soya in Argentina. Glyphosate - is known to cause Endocrine disruption, non-Hodgkin’ s Lymphoma, Nervous system disorder, Parkinson’s disease etc Glufosinate, is shown in animal experiments to be toxic to the neurological and reproductive systems; it is also documented in studies that it is toxic to beneficial insects that control crop pests and to pollinators.
- This technology is a living technology that cannot be contained geographically or biologically. It has a way of spreading itself in Nature, in irreversible and uncontrollable ways. GM crops are also known to contaminate other similar and dissimilar plants. In the stores, GM and non-GM products can easily get mixed up. This virtually means that no choices will be left for either farmers or consumers once these are introduced. The contamination risks are higher in case of Mustard because the plant is both self and cross pollinating and the tiny seeds are easily disseminated far and wide. The Mustard seeds can germinate even after many years. Mr. Deepak Pental the promoter and developer of GM Mustard recently acknowledged that non transgenic Brassica or Mustard can easily receive the GM gene. GM technology impacts choices of the consumer. The land holdings of an average farm size is very small; making contamination from a neighboring farm extremely easy. Farmers have very limited resources and often share agricultural implements and machiner, storage space and processing facilities are poor. Segregation for organic certification and traceability will be next to impossible in such a situation. All of this increases the costs of organic farmers for good enforcement and makes organic produce uncompetitive in the market place, making it prohibitively expensive.
- There have been numerous cases of GM contamination in India and abroad. since the commercial cultivation started about 2 decades ago. In 2008, two certification agencies had their accreditation suspended with APEDA for failing to detect such Bt cotton contamination in organic cotton. These certification agencies were fined Rs. 15 lakhs and Rs. 7.5 lakhs for this failure. There have been various instances of Brassica contamination since the year 2002 in Canada, Japan, Switzerland and France. Herbicide Tolerance to both glyphosate and glufosinate has been discovered in wild plants n North Dakota., introduced into nature without intent or approval. Unauthorized GM mustard growth was found along railway lines along borders with Italy and France, till oilseed processing factories in Switzerland. Organic Rapeseed cultivation is not possible in Canada now; due to large scale contamination caused by anthropogenic dispersal. One can only imagine the risks!
- Instead of compensating ; Companies like Monsanto have sued farmers under pretexts like unauthorised use of patented seeds. In 1998-Schmeiser an organic canola farmer for 40 years was sued along with numerous other farmers by Monsanto for patent infringement. Most farmers settled but Schmeiser did not. He won after a 10 year legal battle. Monsanto was found guilty of contamination and releasing GM Crops in nature without control. 2010- Steve Marsh, an Australian wheat farmer lost his organic status due to contamination from a neighbor’s GM canola field . Marsh lost , when the judge ruled that the neighbor could not be held responsible. The case has gone on appeal to a higher court this year./2015 While many farmers across the world are switching back to organic farming; re-tracing the steps back to sustainable farming is extremely difficult; more so for small and marginal farmers; who are actually pushed out of their lands and occupations due to the high costs of GM agriculture .
- India is a signatory to the Cartagena protocol, 2000 and is committed to protection the Centre of Diversity from GM Crop contamination. This was one of the reasons for the BT Brinjal moratorium. Its said that about 13000 accessions of Rapeseed Mustard are available in India. The Directorate of Rapeseed-Mustard Research alone has about 1900 of them. India is the Centre of Diversity for Mustard. There are scientists who argue that India is the Centre of Origin too. India is the signatory of the Cartagena protocol, 2000 and is committed to protection the Centre of Diversity from GM Crop contamination. This was one of the reasons for the BT Brinjal moratorium amongst many others.
- The competence and independence of the regulatory regime in India is highly suspect. The bending rules and norms, and compromising on bio-safety assessment is known and has been scandulous. Even a public sector Bt cotton variety was mired in an ownership controversy and had to be withdrawn aftrer the Sopory Committee Report The GEAC has been lax with bio-safety measures for GM Mustard. Even the processes for the trials of non GM seeds are more rigorous and include Initial Yield Evaluation Trial, Uniform Regional Trials and Advanced Varietal Trials over three years period in numerous locations. Multi-disciplinary expertise of agronomists, entomologists, pathologists, nematologists and quality evaluation groups etc is drawn in. In contrast, the tests of this GM Mustard have been allowed to take place in an unsafe and unscientific fashion. For eg. Although , the Supreme Court of India has specified zero tolerance for contamination for GMOS The GEAC has prescribed only a 50-metre isolation for the FTs, even after documenting contamination upto 75 meters in the case of Pro-Agro’s GM mustard and even though it is known that pollination via bees is very high Based on this; one might ask; Is public health and food safety less important just becausethe GM in question s developed by a Public Sector entity?
- The Bt brinjal moratorium decision note of the Ministry of Environment and forest, the Parliamentary Standing Committee Report on GM Food Crops as well as the Supreme Court Technical Expert Committee’s report – all ask for a comprehensive overhaul of the testing regime and the regulatory regime in India. The Bt brinjal saga in India clearly demonstrates that crop developers, who claim safety with their product, are wary and secretive about biosafety data generated. Situation remains unchanged; there is a lack of a good bio-safety regime even today for a robust regime would begin with an assessment of the need for the GMO, and if there was indeed a need ; then assessing the alternatives available for safety, sustainability, socio-economic impacts before going on to bio-safeey. It is of serious concern that despite orders from the Supreme Court, the regulators in India have chosen not to put out biosafety information related to this GMO in the public domain. Even RTI applications have been repeatedly turned down. If the safety trials were indeed satisfactory, then why the secrecy?
- In the absence of data. One must question the credibility of the developer. Mr. Deepak Pental has court cases and serious charges pending against him. This cannot be ignored while weighing the trust factor. One must understand that the very powerful Monsanto, which is also often called the worlds most evil organisation; aims at controlling world food. It already controls the cotton industry in India and is increasingly shaping agricultural-policies and the knowledge paradigm by funding agricultural research in public universities and institutes. Regulatory bodies are severely compromised and riddled with conflicts of interest where decision-making over genetically modified organisms are concerned. These factors make the debate very murky. More than 30 GM food Crops, mostly privately developed and owned are ready in labs to sneak into your kitchens once this moratorium is lifted. Although this particular crop appears to come from the public sector; to some it looks like a lure to slyly lift the moratorium on all GM Food crops.
- We know that organic and safe farming are the answers to climatic, food and health problems faced by man-kind today. Instead we are considering bequeathing to our children; a dangerous and irreversible technology that can only spell a diseased life. Is meddling with nature and making unnatural genetic transfer, across species acceptable? Should humankind be seeking control over nature? Even though GMOs are not needed and are outright risky; just because scientists have learn to manipulate genes does it mean we have to find uses for the technology anyway? These are some flaming questions posing all of us. There is one more very important question; when you leave this room; what are you going to do to protect against the assault of GM crops?