EXTRACT: Petitioners have filed for 'contempt' against three persons of the GEAC [India's apex regulatory body]: MR. B.S. Parsheera, Chairman; Mr. CD Mayee, Co-Chairman and Ms Ranjani Warrier, Member Secretary, for wilfully and deliberately disobeying the explicit orders of the Supreme Court dated 22nd September 2006, 8th May 2007 and 1st August 2007. The 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.

COMMENT from Aruna Rodrigues (the lead petitioner): "It is the case, when one party wants secrecy at the expense of public interest and the other transparency, the party that sides with secrecy has something to hide. The people of India who are being subjected to irreversible experiments on the food they eat have in justice, an absolute priority to be protected; the public interest must override all objections to a completely transparent regulation on genetic engineering and its products. Patents and secrecy are mutually exclusive, so CBI is a bogus claim.

The Regulator stands accused of mortgaging the sacred trust of the people, to protect instead, the profits of the biotech GE industry. The incomprehensible approvals of large-scale trials (LSTs) of Bt brinjal, without safety testing are unprecedented anywhere. They point most forcefully to the unrelenting determination of the Regulator to facilitate the market expansion of GM food crops despite the incontrovertible evidence of serious hazards. LSTs of Bt Brinjal will be a universal first and that too in a country that is a Centre of Origin for this plant. These have never been contemplated before anywhere in the world for very sound reasons".

---

BT BRINJAL AND OTHER GM CROP FIELD TRIALS 'CONTEMPT OF COURT' APPLICATION BY PETITIONERS
PRESS RELEASE

The greatest danger posed by GE is that globally, we are being subjected to the same spin as climate change was for years. This time however, every action that releases untested GMOs, takes us to the brink. Today, in India, we stand 'on the brink' with the current approvals of GM field trials, with particular emphasis on large-scale trials (LSTs) of Bt brinjal, which are a universal first. A rollback will not be possible. Contamination from field trials and their impacts on biodiversity will be irreversible. This is the accepted science. Clearly, such a position is perverse, untenable, and without justification.

It is also a matter of great perplexity that public interest can be allowed to be drowned by corporate power. It is the Petitioners' case that this Writ Petition cannot be allowed to fall by the way side for these reasons. The GEAC's reckless rush into GM foods unless checked will have impacts on our farmers, their crop choices, our food and health, our wild places and our countryside in perpetuity.

Petitioners have filed for 'contempt' against three persons of the GEAC: MR. B.S. Parsheera, Chairman; Mr. CD Mayee, Co-Chairman and Ms Ranjani Warrier, Member Secretary, for wilfully and deliberately disobeying the explicit orders of the Supreme Court dated 22nd September 2006, 8th May 2007 and 1st August 2007. The 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. 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 including Bt. Rice, Bt. Tomato, Bt. Okra, more Bt brinjal, Transgenic Groundnut etc. A legal notice dated 24th August, 2007 to this effect was sent to the Member Secretary of the GEAC i.e. Ms. Ranjini Warrier by Counsel for the Petitioners to stop these trials. There was no satisfactory response to this.

One year ago, India faced exactly the same situation when Petitioners filed an Application for Urgent Interim Orders. The SC, recognising the need for great caution in the matter of GE crops, particularly GM food crops, granted relief with an injunction on 'approvals' from 22nd September, 2006, thereby forestalling the imminent, ill-conceived approvals being planned by the Regulator of LSTs of Bt Brinjal. The injunction on:

i. Large Scale Trials of Bt brinjal remains unambiguously in place;

ii. So also the injunction on new events/new products of GM food crops as well as Bt Cotton, and;

iii. All 'new approvals'.

The GEAC move to legitimise these trials by requiring them to be conducted in Institutional premises is most curious, as though this will confer on them some kind of inability to spread transgenic contamination. Several ICAR institutions have rich germplasm collections and on this basis alone, right-minded scientists must raise a red flag to these GM food field trials, which should not be conducted. "It is extremely important that the potential harm to wild relatives and crop genetic resources by Bt brinjal be taken very seriously" (Doug Gurian-Sherman).

Furthermore, the toxicity of the Bt gene is proven by science beyond doubt. It cannot therefore be the basis for introducing the Bt transgene into other crops, and particularly GM FOOD crops. Dr. Arpad Pusztai the world's leading expert of science lectins (proteins) has stated: "The evidence for the survival of the Bt toxins in the digestive tract and internal organs is clear-cut. Thus, it is expected that the situation with Bt brinjal will not be different. Accordingly, all the already described potentially harmful effects on consumers of the Bt toxins can also be expected to occur with Bt brinjal. As their release into the environment is an irreversible act, sanctioning such large scale field trials would be highly irresponsible".

Prof. Dave Schubert is similarly, unequivocal about the introduction of GM food crops. In his submission to the Court, he has this to say:

"The GE process as currently practiced is an unsafe technology; it is therefore my position that at present, it is extremely unwise to allow the introduction of GM food crops into the environment in India where there is great biological diversity and need for stable food production. This is particularly true for an indigenous species and a major food source such as Brinjal. It is argued by the GM producers that crops (mostly maize) containing the Bt gene have been eaten for 10 years (true) and therefore proven safe (not true), and that putting the same Bt gene into another crop means that it will also be safe to eat (absolutely not true). The reason for the concern about the ability of GE plants to produce toxins, carcinogens, and compounds that cause birth defects (teratogens) is the result of the UNCONTROLLED EVENTS that occur in the steps required to make a GE plant. Therefore the GM process itself is highly mutagenic and can cause the plants to make chemicals that they normally do not make with completely unpredictable consequences--- estimates are that they can make between 90,000 and 200,000 unique chemicals with up to 5,000 in one species-- Many of these are known to be HIGHLY TOXIC, CAUSE CANCER, AND CAUSE DISEASES LIKE PARKINSON'S. --- THE CLAIMS MADE ABOUT THE PRECISION, SPECIFICITY AND SAFETY OF PLANT GENETIC ENGINEERING HAVE NO SCIENTIFIC BASIS.--There are no mandatory, SAFETY TESTING PROCEDURES IN THE US. THEREFORE THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR CLAIMING THAT BT CROPS ARE "PROVEN SAFE TO EAT". --It may take many years before any symptoms of a disease arising from a GM product appear. In the absence of strong epidemiology or clinical trials, any health problem associated with an illness caused by a transgenic food is going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to detect unless it is a disease that is unique or normally very rare. --Of utmost importance is the fact that Brinjal in India is one of the major sources of calories for its population, while the Bt corn in the US and elsewhere is mostly used for animal food and its consumption as food is extremely small, less than a percent of total calorie intake.

"Once a crop is extensively planted the consequences are irreversible because there is no way that the genetic material from these crops can be contained". (Without proper testing which has not been done), "GM Brinjal should not be planted.--- Once a crop is extensively planted the consequences are irreversible because there is no way that the genetic material from these crops can be contained".

.

The Regulator continues to rely exclusively on industry-generated bio-safety studies and resists transparency. Citing CBI, (confidential business information) it has refused to release the compilation, analyses and reports of these studies backed by the raw data. Petitioners have established beyond doubt that there is a serious conflict of interest within the Union of India and also the Regulator. It effectively establishes that for all intents and purposes the Regulator functions as an extension of the GE biotech industry, ‘oriented’ to facilitating industry objectives of the commercialisation of a vast array of GM crops to the detriment of India’s national interest and the non-negotiable sovereign issue of the protection of her BIODIVERSITY.

The gravest threat is to global ecological damage from the twin threats that face our world: First, of ‘climate change’ and with it, the unique risks of genetic engineering and its products GMOs. ‘Climate Change’ after years of cover-up and disinformation is now headlined everyday. There is broad consensus between Governments on what this means: preventing more than 2 degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels. This is the ROLLBACK and with it, some of the more dire consequences may be avoided but not without. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE GREATEST DANGER POSED BY GE IS THAT GLOBALLY, WE ARE BEING SUBJECTED TO THE SAME SPIN AS CLIMATE CHANGE WAS FOR YEARS. This time however, every action that releases untested GMOs, takes us to the brink. Today, in India, we stand ‘on the brink’ with the current approvals of GM field trials, with particular emphasis on LSTs of Bt brinjal. A ROLLBACK WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE. Contamination from field trials and their impacts on biodiversity will be irreversible. This is the accepted science. Clearly, such a position is perverse, untenable, and without justification. IT IS ALSO A MATTER OF GREAT PERPLEXITY THAT PUBLIC INTEREST CAN BE ALLOWED TO BE DROWNED BY CORPORATE POWER. IT IS THE PETITIONERS' CASE THAT THIS WRIT PETITION CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO FALL BY THE WAY SIDE FOR THESE REASONS. THE GEAC'S RECKLESS RUSH INTO GM FOODS UNLESS CHECKED WILL HAVE IMPACTS ON OUR FARMERS, THEIR CROP CHOICES, OUR FOOD AND HEALTH, OUR WILD PLACES AND OUR COUNTRYSIDE IN PERPETUITY.

Aruna Rodrigues with co-petitioners:
PV Satheesh,
Devinder Sharma,
Rajeev Baruah

Go to a Print friendly Page

Email this Article to a Friend

Back to the Archive