<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=windows-1258">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text Char";
margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:8.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
p.MsoNoSpacing, li.MsoNoSpacing, div.MsoNoSpacing
{mso-style-priority:1;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0cm;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0cm;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
span.BalloonTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Balloon Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text";
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
span.EmailStyle20
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle21
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<span
style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span>
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p><br>
FYI <br>
</o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF
1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">
Morana Lefilliatre [<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:morana.lefilliatre@panap.net">mailto:morana.lefilliatre@panap.net</a>]
<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, 24 October, 2012 8:25 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:%22Undisclosed-Recipient:;%22@gateway11.websitewelcome.com">"Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@gateway11.websitewelcome.com</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> E-Rice Monitor 20/2012: All GM field
trials in India to be stopped<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>�</o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i><span
style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">#Apologies
for any cross postings<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i><o:p>�</o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Best
regards</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Mona</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0cm"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">PAN AP<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:20.0pt;margin-left:0cm;text-align:center"
align="center"><b><span style="font-size:20.0pt">All GM field
trials in India to be stopped<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14328:all-gm-field-trials-in-india-to-be-stopped"><span
style="color:purple">http://gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14328:all-gm-field-trials-in-india-to-be-stopped</span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><o:p>�</o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt">The
Coalition for a GM-Free India, 18 October 2012<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i><o:p>�</o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt">�<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt">*10-year
Moratorium on field trials of Bt food crops<br>
<br>
*Moratorium on field trials of Herbicide Tolerant crops (till
independent assessment of impact and suitability) and<br>
<br>
*Ban on field trials of GM crops for which India is a Centre
of Origin/Diversity<br>
<br>
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:<br>
<br>
i) Specific sites for conducting field trials have been
designated and certified and sufficient mechanisms for
monitoring the trials put in place.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
iii) Conflict of interest in the regulatory body has been
removed (as discussed above).<br>
<br>
iv) The requirement for preliminary biosafety tests prior to
field trials including sub-chronic toxicity in small animals
has been included.<br>
<br>
More importantly, the TEC recommended the following with
regard to certain classes of products:<br>
<br>
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).<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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".<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
"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.<br>
<br>
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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><o:p>�</o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt">YOU
CAN DOWNLOAD THE TECHNICAL EXPERT COMMITTEE'S INTERIM REPORT
HERE.<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://indiagminfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/SC-TEC-interim-report-oct17th-2012-GMO-PIL.pdf"
target="_blank">http://indiagminfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/SC-TEC-interim-report-oct17th-2012-GMO-PIL.pdf</a><br>
<br>
THE SUPREME COURT ORDER SETTING UP THE TEC, ITS CONSTITUTION
AND ITS TERMS OF REFERENCE CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE.<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://indiagminfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/2012_STPLWeb_294_SC.pdf"
target="_blank">http://indiagminfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/2012_STPLWeb_294_SC.pdf</a><br>
<br>
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.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>