Dear all, Forwarded mail for your information on BT Cotton and its *after effects*presently faced in india ! It is ISIS Letter to Hilary Benn, UK Secretary of State for the Environment which includes BT Cotton reports.
After reading The Mealy Bug Plagues Bt Cotton in India and Pakistan' ( http://www.i-sis.org.uk/mealybugPlaguesBtCotton.php ), a report mentioned in the forwarded mail, I wonder if BT Cotton could be the reason for mealy bug infested trees & plants that are presently seen in Mumbai. I have myself experienced loss of my home growing plants to mealy bugs. Also it is in discussion within individuals trying to save their mealy bug infected plants. Please check out if plants at your home and in neighbourhood are infested by mealy bugs too and do inform. Guys, after effects of BT Cotton, the only GM crop presently cultivated in India, are very alarming. Do we still need to try BT Brinjal, another GM crop cultivation and this time not just in our environment but also in our food ? Please show your solidarity against BT Brinjal - either attend national public consutation on Bt Brinjal or write to the MoEF. Do it now before its too late. SAY NO TO BT BRINJAL AND BAN ON BT COTTON in India. Tejal Mumbai ---------- Forwarded message ---------- ISIS Report 13/01/10 Lessons from Bt Cotton ISIS Letter to Hilary Benn, UK Secretary of State for the Environment Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for the Environment, DEFRA 4 January 2009 Dear Mr. Benn, I am writing to you onbehalf of the Institute of Science in Society (ISIS), a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing critical and accessible scientific information to the public and to promoting accountability and sustainability in science. As director of ISIS and a member on the Roster of Experts of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, I have been involved in monitoring scientific developments of genetic modification especially in relation to risk assessments on genetically modified organisms. I understand that you are particularly keen to promote GM crops for developing countries, perhaps on account of the bad advice and misinformation you have received, especially on the supposed 'success' of Bt cotton in India, which I have recently heard described by invited speakers at the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee meeting. My colleagues and I have been following the developments of Bt cotton in India since the beginning, and I was motivated to get to the bottom of the debate over the role that Bt cotton has played in exacerbating farmer suicides in India, which has raised grave concerns worldwide. The results of my investigations are summed up in the two reports enclosed: Farmer Suicides and Bt Cotton Nightmare Unfolding in India ( http://www.i-sis.org.uk/farmersSuicidesBtCottonIndia.php ), and Mealy Bug Plagues Bt Cotton in India and Pakistan ( http://www.i-sis.org.uk/mealybugPlaguesBtCotton.php ). Together, these reports show that Bt cotton has indeed exacerbated farmer suicides in India by increasing their indebtedness. In addition, Bt cotton is creating an ecological disaster in secondary and new pests, resistant pests, new diseases, and above all, soils so depleted in nutrients and beneficial microorganisms that they would cease to support the growth of any crop in a decade. I have submitted both reports to the Environment Minister of India and urged him to do his utmost to stop Bt cotton and any further GM crops in India.There are also serious health concerns over GM crops in general which more and more scientists are now acknowledging since I pointed them out in my book, Genetic Engineering Dream or Nightmare ( http://www.i-sis.org.uk/genet.php ) first published in 1997/8. More importantly, there is a developing scientific consensus that organically managed non-GM agriculture and localised food systems is the way ahead for us all, developed and developing countries. It not only provides a lifeline for farmers caught in the GM trap, but also guarantees food security while mitigating climate change. Your sincerely, Dr. Mae-Wan Ho Director Institute of Science in Society This letter is on the ISIS website here http://www.i-sis.org.uk/lessonsFromBtCotton.php Read other articles about GM cotton http://www.i-sis.org.uk/GE-cotton.php ISIS is an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing critical public information on cutting edge science, and to promoting social accountability and ecological sustainability in science. ======================================================== CONTACT DETAILS The Institute of Science in Society, The Old House 39-41 North Road, London N7 9DP telephone: [44 20 7700 5948] [44 20 8452 2729] For email details, see http://www.i-sis.org.uk/contact.php __._,_.___--
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