SC panel for 10-yr moratorium on all field trials of GM crops

In its interim report, the Technical Expert Committee (TEC), appointed by the Supreme Court, has said the present regulatory system and protocol for conducting the field trials was unsatisfactory and inadequate, requiring major changes, restructuring and strengthening.

"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 10 year moratorium on field trials of Bt transgenics in all food crops (those used directly for human consumption)," it said.

NGO Greenpeace said that the moratorium is necessitated by the potential harm of GM crops to human health, that of livestock and biodiversity and the possibility of field trials to contaminate regular crops and food supply.

"The concern was also because of the inadequacy of the current regulatory system to assess the safety of GM crops and its ability to safely conduct field trials," it said.

The NGO also claimed that farmers in Kurukshetra, "where field trials of Monsanto's GM corn were held, forced the Haryana Agriculture University authorities to fulfill their promise on completely destroying the field trial today."