Greenpeace activists demonstrate at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) headquarters in New Delhi on Monday criticizing the ICAR for its collaboration with Mahyco in conducting field trials of unsafe Genetically Engineered brinjal.
Making a dig at babus and their political bosses, who have
thrown all cautions to wind by allowing large scale field trials of
GE food crops, Greenpeace activists, dressed like politicians were
seen at Krishi Bhawan force-feeding genetically engineered brinjal
to common men, who remain largely unaware about the dangerous
implications of genetically modified food.
"We are here to demand immediate halt of all field trials till
the bio-safety data generated so far is made public to enable
independent assessment. So far, safety studies on all GE crops are
shrouded in secrecy that has really hindered the public to analyze
the data and raise a debate on the issue. With emerging evidences 1
of companies hiding critical bio-safety data that could prove
negative side effects of GE crops on health, an independent
assessment is indispensable" said Greenpeace campaigner Jai
Krishna.
The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) recently
approved large scale field trials of Bt Brinjal belonging to
Mahyco. The expert committee which allowed these trials had
recommended these trials be done under the control of ICAR; and
absolute responsibility of the trials is vested on the director of
the Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), an ICAR
institute. The ICAR is represented in the GEAC.
The Supreme Court's Orders of the 22nd September 2006, by which
further approvals of field trials by the GEAC had been injuncted,
remain in force today and have not been vacated in its Orders of
the 8 th May & 1st August 2007. However, blatantly disregarding
this, the GEAC has in its 79th meeting on 8.08.2007, allowed
large-scale field trials of Bt. Brinjal, and field trials of other
GM food crops.
"We have filed a 'contempt' petition on 13th of this month in
the apex court" asserted Aruna Rodrigues. " A year back, India
faced exactly the same situation when petitioners filed an
application for urgent interim orders to stop field trials. The
Supreme Court, taking cognizance of the gravity of the issue passed
an injunction on 'approvals' from 22 nd September, 2006, thereby
forestalling the imminent, ill-conceived large scale trails of Bt
brinjal. The GEAC move to legitimise these trials by requiring them
to be conducted in institutional premises is most curious as this
move does not forestall the possibility of transgenic
contamination' she said.
Bt brinjal has never been allowed an independent assessment
because the safety data has never been disclosed. Greenpeace
efforts in past 16 months through the Right to Information Act, 2
have been unsuccessful as the authorities have not complied with
the Central Information Commission's order on this issue. Even the
expert committee, set up after immense pressure from civil society
groups last year questioning the safety of Bt brinjal, accepts the
inadequacy of the bio-safety tests and recommends more tests. These
studies are now being requested to be done while the field trials
are on.
"It is utterly shameful that the ICAR, a public research
institute of the highest repute, would take on the responsibility
and liability of conducting high-risk large-scale field trials of
the first GE food crop internationally on behalf of Monsanto-
Mahyco. The Indian Council for Agricultural Research, and its
institutes, has clearly chosen to place their allegiance in the
seed Corporation above the interest of the people" Jai Krishna
commented.
For further information, contact
Jai Krishna, Greenpeace Campaigner, @098455 91992
Sandeep Bhattacharjee, Greenpeace Communications @093425 01806
Saumya Tripathy, Greenpeace Communications @ 09343862212
Notes to Editor
1) This March 2007, GE maize owned by Monsanto Mon 863, was found to be unfit for human consumption after the safety data was peer reviewed by Prof. Gilles-Eric Séralini, President of he Scientific Council, University of Caen in France.
2) Greenpeace application for disclosing biosafety studies of Bt Brinjal to the Dept. of biotechnology, under the RTI act was filed, February 2006. in April this year, the central information commission ordered to disclose the data. The data has not been made available to the public domain till now.