[Biofuel] Non GM status of Indian rice threatened

D. Mindock Thu, 28 Dec 2006 04:42:48 -0800

Non GM status of Indian rice threatened 
Posted by: "Chris Gupta" [EMAIL PROTECTED]   cdg0301 
Mon Dec 11, 2006 8:06 pm (PST) 
"The US Government is not only stealing genetic assets, it is 
deliberately promoting near lethal food worldwide. Genetic 
Engineering if not stopped will lead to the irreversible 
contamination of the world's food at the molecular level and in 
perpetuity. This demonstrates the seriousness of the crisis we face."

"The most recent incident of contamination has occurred with American
Long Grain Rice. The announcement in August 2006 that an unapproved
variety of genetically modified (GM) rice, i.e. not approved for
human consumption, had been found at low levels in US long-grain rice
shocked the global food industry. Bayer Crop Science's GM LL601RICE
had last been grown in field trials in 2001 and was not intended for
commercialization. Liberty Link 601 [LL601 rice] has been modified to
be tolerant to Bayer's herbicide, Liberty (glufosinate), so farmers
can use the weed-killer without harming the crop.

The global marketing of unapproved GM rice has led to product
withdrawals in Switzerland, Germany, France, Sweden, Ireland and the
UK. Exports to Europe require certification that foods are
GM-contaminant free. Japan has zero tolerance for GM crops, has
halted rice imports from the USA, and is carrying out extensive tests
to detect LL601contamination level and extent.

It is obvious that there has been a cover-up. Most corporate crimes
are committed with full knowledge of top management. Bayer knew about
the contamination before it was discovered. So does Monsanto, despite
its claims on its website that it operates through an Indian parent company.

The Indian taxpayer is now paying Monsanto's debt. The people of
India will continue to pay Monsanto with their lives and property.
The repercussions of the Regulator's releases of GM foods in India
will be global."

Further to:
<http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2006/10/11/the_machinations_of_the_new_world_order_the_farmer.htm>The

Machinations Of The New World Order - The Farmer the following is a
must read and act on.

Chris Gupta
http://tinyurl.com/y7r6ey
--------------------

Non GM status of Indian rice threatened

Big GM seeds buccaneers
Versus
The People of India

The fight intensifies

Arun Shrivastava

The Indian Government is firmly under control of buccaneers of
bio-technology and spurious Life Sciences multinational corporations.
Despite rules to the contrary, GM experiments have been going on
across India with the complicity of the Indian Government. Most
importantly, the attack is now on rice.

India is a centre of origin for rice and the centre for diversity for
rice genes, in the same way as Mexico is for corn. It is therefore
much more than just a rice country. This makes the Government's
cavalier attitude to India's Non-GM status for rice, one of
irresponsible criminal negligence. In embarking on high-risk field
trials of GM-rice, it exposes our rice farmers to contamination by GM
including transgenic contamination of wild species and the rice seed
stock. If we Indians lose control over local rice seeds we lose our
right to food and nutrition. We lose our sovereignty.

Has the Government exercised due diligence?

In granting permission for field trials, the Government of India has
failed to protect the people's interest and health. The Supreme Court
of India [SC] in its interim order [1st May 2006] in matter of a
Public Interest Litigation [PIL] number 260 of 2006 had directed that
all applications for field trials be routed via inter-ministerial
"Genetic Engineering Approvals Committee" [GEAC]. This does not imply
that the SC had given a carte blanche to GEAC to approve field
trials; rather, the directive was to prevent one department [the
Department of Biotechnology] from taking unilateral decisions and
bring in some discipline.

However, in the '67th Meeting of the Genetic Engineering Approval
Committee' held on 22.05.2006, the GEAC brushed aside all such
concerns and in utter defiance of the spirit of the Order it has
rubberstamped an astonishing 91 GM products for multi-location trials [MLTs]

91 approvals in one meeting.

Which forced the Supreme Court to pass another order on 20th September, 2006:

[Whilst it is ] not inclined to direct stoppage of field trials. At
the same time, [the Supreme Court] deem it appropriate to direct the
GEAC to withhold the approvals till further directions are issued by
this Court on hearing all concerned. [Record of Proceedings, Item No
9, Writ Petition No 260 of 2006; the Supreme Court of India]

Not only approvals were rushed through in anticipation of a possible
full spectrum ban on field trial in India, activists have been stone
walled from obtaining information on locations and type of seeds
being tested. It is only after petition under Right to Information
[RTI Act of 2005] were filed that some information has been revealed
by the Department of Biotechnology.

Thus, the big seed companies [in this instance Monsanto, operating
through its Indian Joint Venture partners Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds
Corporation or Mahyco] have committed crimes against humanity with
full connivance of officials of the Department of Biotechnology and
members of GEAC [which means several Ministries are also involved,
chiefly, the Minister of Agriculture & the Ministry of Environment & Forest].

This is a crime against the people of India and against India's
farmers because these approvals have been given knowing the fact
that, in the last two years, 70% of the farmer suicides in the
Maharashtra belt are Bt* cotton farmers suicides.

*Pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis toxin or Bt for more on Bt read:
<http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2006/12/10/_why_genetically_modifying_gm_food_products_is_a_no_no.htm>Why

Genetically Modifying (GM) Food Products Is A No No

"During the latter part of April, the Centre for Sustainable
Agriculture (CSA) uncovered deadly toxic reaction in sheep and goats
in Warangal in AP from grazing in Bt cotton fields in Feb/March, post
the last cotton harvest of 2005-2006. Local shepherds estimate the
total mortality for the area to be around 10,000 dead sheep and
goats." [Page 4, Application for interim order, in the SC of India,
No 260 of 2006]

We do not care how many acres have been planted. We do know that six
varieties of Bt rice are under open field trials. These are: MRP 5305
Bt., MRP5319Bt., MRP 5401 Bt., MRP5445Bt., MRP 5629 Bt., and MRP5631 Bt.

Whilst Bt rice trials have been approved in 10 out of India's 25
states, we suspect that the total area where GE field trials have
been slipped in, without knowledge of the poor farmers who rented
their lands, could be significant.

This is not a new war

The United States of America declared a war on Indian rice [and food
security] way back in the early 1960s when India's No 1 scientist
mole, Dr M.S. Swaminathan, stole the gene bank of rice, evolved over
decades by Dr Riccharia, and passed it over to the Americans. How
many genetic varieties have been stolen? No one really knows.

Swaminathan was the main villain in what is known as "the great[est]
gene robbery" in the history of mankind. [See, "The Great Gene
Robbery", by Dr Claude Alvarez,
<http://www.kamat.com/database/sources/weekly.htm>The Illustrated
Weekly of India, March 23-April 5, 1986]

India had 120,000 varieties of rice seeds; today, no more than 50 are
available. This is United States' war on genetic diversity, ably
supported by scientist-criminals like MS Swaminathan. And the worst
crime of the Indian Government is to have these criminals head
Agriculture Policy of India. At age 75, Swaminathan lives to lord it
over many Expert Committees, including crucial ones in the Ministry
of Agriculture. The deadly tentacles of this hydra-headed monster
extend in many ministries of the Government of India. From early
1960s, Swaminathan has been the front of the Rockefellers,
implementing their agenda with full support of the US
Government. [See: www.GMWatch.org]

Emboldened by a deliberately errant Indian Regulator, which is
malfunctioning with intent and deliberation to support a pro GE
agenda, and the open support of USAID, the GM seeds producers are
furthering the agenda of destroying India's food sovereignty and food
security knowing fully well that GE seeds do not enhance productivity
[yield], which is what Indian farmers need.

For example, the USAID-backed initiative, Agricultural Biotechnology
Support Project-II (ABSP-II), is based and directed from Cornell.
ABSP partners have included Asgrow, Monsanto, and Pioneer Hi-Bred.
Promoting GM is, of course, an official part of USAID's remit - one
of its roles being to "integrate GM into local food systems." [Ibid]

The Trojan horse of GE seeds in India

That war has been taken to new heights by Monsanto. Few know that
Mahyco is the Trojan horse through which Monsanto is slipping in GM
seeds. Monsanto's website says:

* Joint venture with Mahyco 50:50 for marketing of biotech
cotton seeds and 74:26 for marketing of seeds. Both these joint
ventures are by parent company and not MIL.

* Parent Company is 51 per cent investment in Joint Venture
with EID Parry (Hybrid rice seed business).

*
<http://myiris.com/shares/company/reportShow.php?url=AMServer%2F2001%2F09%2FMONCHEIA_20010925.htm>
R & D centre of Bangalore also belongs to parent Company.

In effect, Mahyco is the front.

As early as 1999, the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and
Ecology (RFSTE) challenged the permission given by the Government to
M/s Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Limited [Mahyco, Monsanto's JV
partners] in the Supreme Court, vide their Writ Petition No. 71 of
1999 for carrying out multi-centric trials (these are limited field
trials) at 15 locations in 7 states without framing proper
guidelines, rules and systems for evaluating the bio-safety and
ecological and environmental impacts of genetically modified
organisms used in crops. [Ibid]

Thus, it is on record that right from the earliest MLTs for Bt
cotton, 'improper and illegal procedures' were followed by the
GEAC/DBT and that contamination from these limited field trials
(MLTs), were a major source of concern. These observations by RFSTE
are part of the record of the Rejoinder Affidavit.

World's best known scientists have sent their submissions

What is most heartening is that leading scientists from all over the
world have joined hands with Indian activists with their expertise
and experience. Many have filed exclusive submissions to the Supreme Court.
"Dr. Arpad Pusztai, the world renowned toxicologist and leading
expert in protein lectins in a telephone conversation with Petitioner
No 1 said that in all these years of scrutinising industry studies,
(and most of these have passed through his hands), he has never seen
anything quite like this. According to David Schubert, the safety
testing data on the Ministry (GEAC) website is very poorly done and
in the absence of REAL DATA it is impossible to make any assessment
of the validity of their claims. Dr. Doug Gurian Sherman, Senior
Scientist at the Centre For Food Safety concurs. Dr. Robert Mann
formerly senior lecturer in biochemistry at the University of
Auckland and Advisor to successive Ministrys of Health in NZ, says,
I regard the 'Bt'-brinjal field-trial proposal as one of the most
ill-conceived I have encountered in my three decades of critical
appraisal of GM. The risks and hazards, while not exactly known or
indeed precisely foreseeable, appear to be so grave that the proposed
field-trials should be enjoined pending a thorough assessment such as
has yet to be performed.? Dr. Mae Wan Ho (of the Independent Science
Panel) and Prof. Joe Cummins, Prof. Emeritus of Genetics, University
of Western Ontario, Canada, say: In India, brinjal would be
comparable to potato or tomato in the American diet. GM Egg Plant
Contains Bt Toxin Linked to Hundreds of Allergy Cases and Thousands
of Sheep Deaths. It would be unthinkable and irresponsible to
approve the genetically modified eggplant. Dr. Mae-Wan Ho and
<http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2006/02/27/terminator_corporations_suicide_seeds.htm>Prof<http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2006/02/27/terminator_corporations_suicide_seeds.htm>.

Joe Cummins find neither published studies nor experimental details
on safety tests in the application for field releases of the Bt
brinjal and raise serious questions. Instead of approving more GM
crops, regulatory authorities in India should start a comprehensive
enquiry into the health impacts of Bt cotton and impose a ban on
further releases of all GM crops".

So, the buccaneers have pushed GM rice and GM veggies: staple food of
Indians. They have stealthily planted GM seeds in plots right across
India. It is a well known fact that GM seeds can easily contaminate
non-GM seeds through cross pollination. GM contamination could be
widespread because there is no way to prevent contamination across
India's farming areas.

How you can help India

In 2005-06, Indian rice exporters exported 5 million tonnes of rice
valued at US$1.53 billion to 102 countries worldwide. Their main
markets are Europe, North America, West Asia, and Australia. In each
of these countries, the respective Governments must

Warn The Indian Government that Consumers
Do Not Want GM Indian Rice

We suggest: Start Testing

Next, if you are a consumer, petition your local representatives to
send a strong letter to the Government of India to install
internationally acceptable test protocols to check for contamination,
at all ports and in all states and that pending such decision no
primary foods be allowed in importing countries. Most importantly,
ask your representative to tell the Government of India to

Stop all GM field trials
Because it will destroy global environment

None of us wants to hurt Indian exporters and farmers; many poor
farmers depend on steady market provided by the exporters. Every
farmer's association has come out against GM seeds. The All India
Rice Exporters Association has expressed its readiness to work with
all persons who refuse to fall in line with a pro-GM agenda because
of the demonstrated risks of GE technology. But we are also sure that
when their market shrinks, these exporters and their supplier farmers
will hang every politician and member of the Indian Parliament
from the nearest tree.

The impact would be swift and decisive. There is no other option.
Pass the news far and wide.

Undertaking required from the Indian Government

The Government of India must give an undertaking to the Indian rice
consumers worldwide that
[a] it was dishonest in that it did not exercise due diligence and
checks at ports, including bio safety assessment based on the
precautionary principle;
[b] it has unconditionally banned all GM rice and GM food field trials;
[c] it shall make public the names of producers of GM
seeds, ownership [including joint ventures in India], location,
contact number, names of principal officers, and nationality of the
companies, it has granted permission for trials and dates when
permissions for trials were granted;
[d] it publicly acknowledges the harms caused to humans and
environment if GM crops are planted and/or consumed based upon
independent published studies, and
[e] It is prepared to compensate for health damages caused to
consumers because of consumption of GM rice.

If possible bring in lawsuits against the Government of India for
allowing shipment, if rice exports test positive for GM.
Bt (GM) rice has not been approved for human consumption and Bt foods
including rice are a proven health hazard.

All GM foods are weapons of mass destruction. Therefore, bring-in
lawsuits against the Government of the USA, including the US-FDA and
USDA, like the instance cited below:

The most recent incident of contamination has occurred with American
Long Grain Rice. The announcement in August 2006 that an unapproved
variety of genetically modified (GM) rice, i.e. not approved for
human consumption, had been found at low levels in US long-grain rice
shocked the global food industry. Bayer Crop Science's GM LL601RICE
had last been grown in field trials in 2001 and was not intended for
commercialization. Liberty Link 601 [LL601 rice] has been modified to
be tolerant to Bayer's herbicide, Liberty (glufosinate), so farmers
can use the weed-killer without harming the crop.

Most of all, the Indian Regulator must carry the highest
responsibility and stands heavily indicted. .

The US Regulators are implicated for concealing the contamination
from Bayer's LL601 variety. Bayer is being sued by growers in
Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas, who
have filed lawsuits amounting to hundreds of millions of dollar for
damaging farmers? sales through loss of markets. The contamination
had gone undetected because no testing was done prior to this year.

The US Government is not only stealing genetic assets, it is
deliberately promoting near lethal food worldwide. Genetic
Engineering if not stopped will lead to the irreversible
contamination of the world's food at the molecular level and in
perpetuity. This demonstrates the seriousness of the crisis we face.

We need a million lawsuits worldwide

We need lawyers, not part of the inner coterie of the murderous
neo-cons in Washington and London and their minions elsewhere, to
work on a standard draft in accordance with their respective national
Environment Protection Laws, Food Laws, and restrictive provisions
for GE experimentations, and file million plus lawsuits worldwide
against Monsanto, Bayer, and others who have tested and tried in open
fields any genetically modified crops that is food for us. Lawyers
also need food, healthy food!

Whilst a lawsuit claiming damage to health may warrant proof of
evidence of 'damage' which will be difficult to obtain, therefore,
appellants should seek damages for contamination from genetic
engineering that is known to cause
[a] damages to living cells,
[b] damages the environment,
and [c] destroys biological diversity.

If you are a consumer, talk to lawyers in groups and file class
action suits. There is enough evidence from a number of animal
studies that genetically modified foods can make you infertile,
retard your children's growth, cause unknown and untreatable
diseases, destroy your life and terminate your life prematurely.

These murderers can beat us up, bribe the Indian Police to lock our
farmers up, and file utterly baseless cases just to harass us. But
none of these companies can fight a global opposition.

Your life and health is in your hands. Help us fight this global menace.

Arun Shrivastava is a management consultant. He can be contacted at
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED]

Note:
<http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7205>http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7205
1. This above url documents what is going on in India and how
the big bio-tech firms are misusing their financial and political
clout to harass and physically intimidate farmers.
2. All documents quoted in this article are in the public
domain or have been placed as evidence in a writ petition filed in
the Supreme Court of India, No 206 of 2006. The case is still being
heard. Detailed references and key documents can be sent to any
person interested.
3. We are requesting as many editors/web site administrators
to place an online petition. We need 100,000 signatures from all over
the world before 14th December. The petition is being drafted.

[Biofuel] Non GM status of Indian rice threatened

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