GM mustard tests were rigged, activists urge Dave to scrap GEAC recommendation

A day after the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) gave a positive recommendation to genetically modified mustard, activists urged Union Environment Minister Anil Dave against the crop, claiming that the tests performed were rigged.

GEAC, the country's regulator for transgenic crops, in its meeting on Thursday gave positive feedback to the GM Mustard, calling it safe and fit for commercial release.

The approval is now due with the Environment Minister and of approved GM Mustard could be the first genetically modified food crop to be cultivated in India.

Saying that the crop is a herbicide tolerant (HT) and would have direct adverse impacts on Indian farmers and consumers, activists dub the GEAC as "anti-environment" which used a "farcical processes" of public feedback.

Deepak Pental, a geneticist at Delhi University who has dedicated 30 years of his life to research and led the team that developed the product as -- Dhara Mustard Hybrid (DMH)-11, has been saying that the crop is safe, need of the hour and that the whole uproar against it has gone too far.

However, claiming to have quantified certain facts, the activists also claimed that even 25 per cent cultivation of GM mustard would impact the livelihood of millions of farmers by reducing 4.25 crore employment days.

"We note with deep disappointment and shock the regulatory green signal from the GEAC for the commercial cultivation of GM Mustard. By clearing this crop GEAC has failed the very mandate and purpose of its creation -- to protect citizens from risks of genetically modified organisms. By clearing GM mustard, GEAC has shown itself to be anti-science, anti-farmers, anti-environment and anti-consumers," Sridhar Radhakrishnan, Coalition for a GM-Free India said in a letter to Dave.

Radhakrishnana also added that it had been proved through rigorous analysis of all available material how it will increase chemicals in the food and farms since the crop is a HT GMO.

"The appraisal was shoddy while the tests were rigged and many tests not taken up. The need for GM mustard was never questioned and answered. GEAC has ignored all the many valid questions raised by scientists and others and chose to function in an unscientific and biased fashion," he said adding that when the rest of the world is shunning GM crops, we would be foolish to rush into GM mustard commercialisation.

Kavita Kuruganti from Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) who has been cautioning againat the GM crop said that India should rather focus on the procurement issues, import policy and subsidising the oil seed cultivation.

"Even if 25 per cent of mustard land grows GM mustard, about 4.25 crore employment days will be lost for millions of hard working poor women," Kuruganti said.

She added that India already has hybrid crop and does'nt need GM mustard.

"The main objection is because its HT, which means farmers will be using more chemicals," she added.

The activists also pointed out that the BJP in its election manifesto has promised that it will not subject Indians to GM food crops without proper long term scientific evaluation.

"We appeal to you, in your capacity as the Minister for Forests, Environment and Climate Change to summarily reject the application for approval of GM-Mustard," Radhakrishnan said.

--IANS

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