Reading material on GM food

 Oct 15: Env Minister on BT Brinjal

The following is the text of Jairam Ramesh on the issue of Bt-Brinjal.

“I have just received the recommendations of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) on BT-Brinjal.

I have studied the recommendations and have decide on the following course of action.

1. The report of the Expert Committee (EC-II) submitted to the GEAC on October 8th , 2009 that formed the basis of the GEAC’s decision of October 14th, 2009 is being made public with immediate effect. It is being uploaded straightway on the website of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (www.moef.gov.in). All previous reports and studies on BT- Brinjal are already in the public domain. Comments on the EC-II report are being sought by December 31, 2009 and I actively encourage their submission,

2. During January and February 2010, I propose to have a series of consultations in different places with scientists , agriculture experts , farmers’ organizations, consumer groups and NGOs. All points of view will be represented in these consultations.

Strong views have already been expressed on the Bt-Brinjal issue, both for and against. My objective is to arrive at careful , considered decision in the public and national interest. The decision will be made only after the consultations process is complete and all stakeholders are satisfied that they have been heard to their satisfaction.”

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BACKGROUND:  AID along with other groups had held Brinjal festival in several cities to highlight the implications of BT Brinjal for bio-diversity, health and seed self-sufficiency.   Times of India Coverage

Watch Film by Mahesh Bhatt Poison on the Platter on the BT Brinjal Issue.

From Sejal's Blog....

(Sejal is an AID-Delhi volunteer)

In case you still have reservations about the threat posed by GM for you as a food consumer, these might help:

• GM food has already been banned/restricted in the Europian Union, Japan, South Korea and many countries in Africa. Here is an Anti-GM petition being sent to President Obama in the US.
• A few years back BT Cotton (from corporate giant Monsanto) was introduced to India. Hundreds of laborers picking cotton and working in cotton ginning factories developed allergic reactions while handling the BT cotton. This never occurred with any non-Bt variety.There are many laborers who don’t go to work unless they’ve first taken an antihistamine. We have repeatedly heard of the death of sheep and goats when left to graze in the Bt Cotton fields of India. It is estimated that ~2500 sheep died in AP within a short span. Medical investigators found black patches in their intestines, livers, etc. The govt of Andhra Pradesh is now advising farmers not to allow their animals to graze on Bt cotton fields. More about Bt Cotton: BT sins… Itchy scars!, Impact of Bt Cotton on Farmers’ Health[More]
  
• The Bt Gene that was introduced in Bt Cotton was drawn from a soil bacterium. The same gene, despite all the above-mentioned, proven hazards, is being pushed in Brinjal, which is how the name Bt Brinjal was coined. So far, the damaging gene was constrained to cotton only, keeping most of us relatively safe, but now with Bt Brinjal, they are aiming directly at your body!
  
• Another independent analysis of the `Effects on Health and Environment of Transgenic (genetically modified) Bt Brinjal’ conducted by Prof. Gilles-Eric Seralini of France concluded that Bt Brinjal’s release could pose a risk to health and the environment.
• The science behind GM may be intellectually intriguing, but it surely is NOT fool-proof (which is what makes as lab rats – samples to  experiment upon).
• GM crops are also not a solution to world hunger. Even today we produce much more food than needed to feed the entire world, but several political and economic factors ensure that the food doesn’t reach everybody [more].
• These and other points about GM food are splendidly brought out in Devinder Sharma’s latest article on the matter.