The government can't stop use of herbicide on GM crops, say activists

It said the government has been disingenuously arguing that DU's GM Mustard, which has used the bar-barnase-barstar technology in the name of pollination control, is not herbicide tolerant

Ahead of the possible constitution of a new Bench in the Supreme Court on the GM Mustard approval, the Coalition for a GM-Free India has written a letter to the Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav saying that the government has no powers to regulate farmers from using herbicides on GM crops.

It said the government has been disingenuously arguing that Delhi University’s GM Mustard, which has used the bar-barnase-barstar technology in the name of pollination control, is not herbicide tolerant (HT). 

The Centre, the coalition said, in the Supreme Court affidavits and the regulators’ approval letter to the crop developer said that farmers will be penalised under the Insecticides Act, 1968, and EPA, 1986, if they use herbicide on GM Mustard crop. 
 

The coalition pointed out in a press release that the Union of India is lying as it is not possible to prevent farmers from using the herbicide with a HT crop like GM Mustard, since farmers are exempted from the purview of regulation under Insecticides Act 1968.