[Ngo-sanrm] FW: E-Rice Monitor 20/2012: All GM field trials in India to be stopped

Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management Working Group ngo-sanrm at ngocentre.org.vn
Thu Oct 25 11:31:31 ICT 2012


FYI

*From:*Morana Lefilliatre [mailto:morana.lefilliatre at panap.net]
*Sent:* Wednesday, 24 October, 2012 8:25 AM
*To:* "Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@gateway11.websitewelcome.com 
<mailto:%22Undisclosed-Recipient:;%22 at gateway11.websitewelcome.com>
*Subject:* E-Rice Monitor 20/2012: All GM field trials in India to be 
stopped

/#Apologies for any cross postings/

//

Best regards

Mona

PAN AP

*All GM field trials in India to be stopped

*

http://gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14328:all-gm-field-trials-in-india-to-be-stopped 
<http://gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14328:all-gm-field-trials-in-india-to-be-stopped>

The Coalition for a GM-Free India, 18 October 2012

//

*10-year Moratorium on field trials of Bt food crops

*Moratorium on field trials of Herbicide Tolerant crops (till 
independent assessment of impact and suitability) and

*Ban on field trials of GM crops for which India is a Centre of 
Origin/Diversity

In an Interim Report signed off on 7th October 2012 
(D.No.1944/2005/SC/PIL in the Assistant Registrar PIL (WRIT)'s office, 
dated 17th October 2012), a 5-member Technical Expert Committee (TEC) 
appointed by the Supreme Court of India in the Writ Petition (Civil) No. 
260 of 2005, with Aruna Rodrigues and others as the petitioners in a PIL 
pertaining to GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms), unanimously 
presented its view that all field trials should be stopped until the 
following conditions have been met:

i) Specific sites for conducting field trials have been designated and 
certified and sufficient mechanisms for monitoring the trials put in place.

ii) A panel of scientists, qualified in evaluation of the biosafety data 
of GM crops has been engaged for scrutiny and analyses of the safety data.

iii) Conflict of interest in the regulatory body has been removed (as 
discussed above).

iv) The requirement for preliminary biosafety tests prior to field 
trials including sub-chronic toxicity in small animals has been included.

More importantly, the TEC recommended the following with regard to 
certain classes of products:

9. Based on the current overall status of food safety evaluation of Bt 
transgenics including the data on Bt cotton and Bt brinjal examined by 
the TEC and in accordance with the precautionary principle, the TEC 
recommends a ten year moratorium on field trials of Bt transgenics in 
all food crops (those used directly for human consumption).

10. In view of the concerns bearing on health, environmental and 
socio-economic considerations, the TEC recommends a moratorium on field 
trials of herbicide tolerant (HT) crops until an independent committee 
comprising of experts and stakeholders has examined and assessed the 
potential impact of HT technology and its suitability in the Indian context.

11. India is a signatory to the Cartagena Protocol which recognises the 
crucial importance of biodiversity as a long term resource. The TEC 
accordingly recommends a ban on field trials of transgenics in those 
crops for which India is a centre of origin or a centre of diversity, as 
transgenics can contaminate and adversely affect the biodiversity.

The TEC specifically recommended for a re-examination of all biosafety 
data for applications in process as well as those that have been 
approved for release by scientists who are qualified in biosafety 
science and experienced in evaluation of biosafety dossiers for 
transgenic plants. Citing its rationale as "given the findings of the 
TEC that there have been several cases of ignoring problematic aspects 
of the data in the safety dossiers", the Committee recommended that the 
re-examination, "if necessary, be done by international experts who have 
the necessary experience".

It also recommended long term and inter-generational studies in rodents 
to be added to the tests and performed for all products whether already 
approved or yet to be approved.

Further, "acute and sub-chronic feeding studies for all applications 
including those in progress should be completed before BRLI, as also 
molecular analysis and allergenicity tests. If these studies indicate 
potential risks of any kind, the GM event should be rejected outright to 
save time, resources and contamination", the report said.

"Genome-wide expression analysis in the toxicity studies of the test 
organism (eg. rodent) that is being exposed helps to identify changes in 
biomarkers that are indicative of toxicity. This is an important test to 
be included as biomarkers are sensitive indicators and are capable of 
revealing changes before visible symptoms appear" read specific 
recommendation 4 of the TEC.

For BRLI and BRL II trials, "the regulator needs to designate and 
certify a defined number of sites in different parts of the country. All 
field trials should be carried out only at these sites. These sites 
should be used only for growing GM plants and not the non-GM material. 
Trials should not be conducted in farmers' fields. This also applies to 
those trials for which permission may have previously been given by the 
regulator", the TEC stated.

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE TECHNICAL EXPERT COMMITTEE'S INTERIM REPORT HERE.
http://indiagminfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/SC-TEC-interim-report-oct17th-2012-GMO-PIL.pdf

THE SUPREME COURT ORDER SETTING UP THE TEC, ITS CONSTITUTION AND ITS 
TERMS OF REFERENCE CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE.
http://indiagminfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/2012_STPLWeb_294_SC.pdf

The Coalition for a GM-Free India welcomes this interim report from the 
Technical Expert Committee set up by the apex court of India and awaits 
the Supreme Court's hearing on the 29th of October 2012 in the matter. 
While earlier inquiries and debates have been discounted by GM 
proponents as 'political', or 'emotional', or 'non-scientific' inquiries 
and recommendations/decisions, it is worth noting that the TEC consists 
only of scientists, including of scientists from the government as its 
representatives. Further, 22 of the 31 submissions studied by the TEC in 
their nearly 4-month-long inquiry/study were from people with scientific 
background.

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