The Technical Expert Committee appointed by the Supreme Court in a writ petition against field tests of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) has submitted its interim report to the Court on 7/10/2012. The report of the committee clearly says that all GMO field trials in India should be stopped.
AntiGMO activists led by Aruna Rodrigues had filed the public interest litigation (WP (Civil) No. 260/2005) before the Supreme Court stating that a grave and hazardous situation, raising biosafety concerns, is developing in our country due to release of GMOs. They had claimed that GMOs are allowed to be released in the environment without proper scientific examination of bio-safety concerns and are affecting both the environment and human health. The petitioners had prayed for putting in place a protocol that maintains scientific examination of all relevant aspects of biosafety before such release, if release were to be at all permissible. On hearing their arguments, the Supreme Court, on 10/5/2012, set up a six man expert committee to submit a report on the following issues:
Should there be any ban on the conducting of open field tests of GMOs? If open field trials of GMOs are permitted, what protocol should be followed?
The committee’s report says that all GMO field trials should be stopped until:
i) specific sites for conducting field trials have been designated and certified and sufficient mechanisms for monitoring the trials put in place.
ii) a panel of qualified scientists has been engaged for scrutiny and analyses of the safety data.
iii) conflict of interest in the regulatory body has been removed.
iv) the requirement for preliminary biosafety tests prior to field trials has been included.
The committee also recommends a ten year moratorium on field trials of Bt transgenics in all food crops such as Bt brinjal.
K.N. Ramachandra, Mysore Grahakara Parishat
AntiGMO activists led by Aruna Rodrigues had filed the public interest litigation (WP (Civil) No. 260/2005) before the Supreme Court stating that a grave and hazardous situation, raising biosafety concerns, is developing in our country due to release of GMOs. They had claimed that GMOs are allowed to be released in the environment without proper scientific examination of bio-safety concerns and are affecting both the environment and human health. The petitioners had prayed for putting in place a protocol that maintains scientific examination of all relevant aspects of biosafety before such release, if release were to be at all permissible. On hearing their arguments, the Supreme Court, on 10/5/2012, set up a six man expert committee to submit a report on the following issues:
Should there be any ban on the conducting of open field tests of GMOs? If open field trials of GMOs are permitted, what protocol should be followed?
The committee’s report says that all GMO field trials should be stopped until:
i) specific sites for conducting field trials have been designated and certified and sufficient mechanisms for monitoring the trials put in place.
ii) a panel of qualified scientists has been engaged for scrutiny and analyses of the safety data.
iii) conflict of interest in the regulatory body has been removed.
iv) the requirement for preliminary biosafety tests prior to field trials has been included.
The committee also recommends a ten year moratorium on field trials of Bt transgenics in all food crops such as Bt brinjal.
K.N. Ramachandra, Mysore Grahakara Parishat