Dr. Kamala Selvaraj, the eminent Fertility expert from GG hospital, Chennai, emphasised on the recent Austrian Government Study that proved that GM corn caused infertility. "The study clearly shows that the mice fed with GM corn in just over 20 months were found to have a smaller litter in the long term, and the pups were smaller and weaker. It is the same corn that is being field tested in TN Agricultural University now. It might take a few years or even a generation to see the impact of GM, and by then it will be too late because the effects are irreversible." she warned.

Dr. Jayam Kannan, fertility expert opined that infertility among young men and women is rising to alarming proportions. "Reproductive toxicity is the most important reason for this. We are worried with  the studies that are surfacing on the GM issue that seem to cause immune disorders, liver and kidney toxicity, growth disorders and increasing antibiotic resistance and now infertility itself. The impact of these would be higher on children and invalid . If it could happen to mice, what hope do we all have to a GM explosion of our diet?"

"Genetic Engineering as a technology cannot be taken as safe without adequate safety tests" said Dr. Sujatha Byravan, Molecular biologist and former President of The Council for Responsible Genetics. She said that the interests of Agribiotech companies severely hamper scientifically rigorous and transparent studies on GM crops.  "There are very few studies conducted on the impacts of GM that are not controlled by the agribusiness and the few scientists who reported adverse effects of GM have been silenced and their work discredited. India is right now following the same pattern of mistakes committed by the USA in the regulation of GM food"

 "None of the crops that are being researched in Tamil Nadu, including the ones by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore have been tested independently" she added talking about the negligent safety nets in the country.

Film actress and activist Rohini, a strong supporter of the anti- GM cause, expressed her concerns over the impacts of GM. "How will this get translated into the lives of common people who will not even know what they are eating? Once the irreversible effects of GM hit us, we will have no option but to eat GM food because that is what will be available in the market" she said talking about the farmers' and Consumers choice being restricted with the advent of GM food crops in the markets.

Tamil Film Director Cheran and Director Myskin were also present to extend their solidarity to the campaign against GM food crops. They expressed that the state had seen various farmers' agitations against GM crops ever since Bt cotton was introduced. "I have come to know that the implications of GM is detrimental to our agrarian system, and GM needs to be banned from the country" Vasant stressed.

Talking about the policy level negligence on this issue, Jai Krishna felt there was still some hope. Some of the policy makers have been aware of this danger. "The Union Health Minister Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, earlier this month said that he would oppose any move to introduce genetically modified food or seeds in the country without holistic studies on its impact on agriculture and health.  However, with TNAU  taking a lead in introducing GM crops without safety testing and in allying with companies which have no regard to public health, it has become very imperative that the state Government takes an active role in understanding the seriousness and stopping GM crops immediately" he said..

The press conference was organised by Greenpeace as a part of the Safe Food Alliance, a network of organisations and individuals who want to stop GM food from being approved as safe, from consumers and farmers losing a choice, from the nation losing its food security forever and for protecting the health and safety of citizens.

The Alliance requested the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to act immediately to prevent the threat of GM food in Tamil Nadu, to take immediate cognizance of all the GM field trials happening in Tamil Nadu and stop them till further scientific evidence proves they are safe.