India has a good record of standing up for safety of food by opposing GM crops, particularly in the context of food. This is why despite relentless lobbying by powerful corporate groups to introduce GM varieties for food crops like mustard and brinjal, this could be avoided so far and GM crops remained confined in India to cotton (even in the context of GM cotton several false claims have been exposed from time to time). However the authorities have now tried to get over this opposition by introducing gene edited food crops instead but it is unlikely that this tactic will find any takers as in the course of opposition to GM crops it has already been made clear several times that gene edited crops also need to be opposed on substantially similar grounds.
Hence it is hardly a surprise that soon after the government announced its decision regarding the release of gene-edited rice varieties opposition to this has been picking up. Within a day of the government announcing the release of two gene-edited rice varieties in India on April 4, the Coalition for GM Free India issued a strong statement voicing their opposition to these two rice varieties (Kamala and Pusa DST Rice 1). The Coalition has also demanded that the government should bring gene editing under the purview of rigorous regulation.
While issuing a detailed evidence-based critique of the decision of the government to release two gene-edited rice varieties, this coalition has argued that these have the potential to harm human beings and cause irreversible damage to environment, in addition to threatening our seed sovereignty. The coalition has emphasized that it is essential to follow the precautionary approach in this context to avoid serious and irreversible harm. In view also of the threat to gene pool and the diverse indigenous varieties of rice, the coalition has stated that public spirited scientists and citizens will together oppose this decision in the days to come.
It is particularly tragic that such a decision has been taken in the context of rice, which is the most important food crop of India and India is famous for a very rich diversity of indigenous varieties. Dr. R.H. Richharia, India’s most senior rice scientist had worked very closely with farmers of remote villages, including villages of tribal communities in regions like Bastar, to collect and catalogue thousands of indigenous rice varieties and cultivars. If only a proper and detailed study of these thousands of indigenous varieties and cultivars is made, it will be possible to find varieties which can be extremely useful for meeting various desired objectives and characteristics, instead of resorting to the highly uncertain and hazardous techniques of gene modification and editing.
Even from a purely economic perspective, India’s interests are best served as a leading center from where healthy and GM-free rice can be obtained. Understanding this some rice exporters from India have also been keen to oppose to oppose GM-gene editing lobby, as I found them in meeting held to oppose these hazardous technologies. However some powerful foreign interests do not want India to flourish as a center for such healthy, non-GM and diverse rice varieties, and it is under the pressure of such lobbies that such harmful decisions are being taken.
What is the real game of those lobbying for gene edited crops? As consciousness regarding the many-sided adverse impacts and high hazards and risks of GM crops has grown, some promoters allied to the same big business interests and multinational companies directly and indirectly have instead started trying to push for gene editing technologies but as these too have similar adverse impacts and risks to a large extent therefore these too must be rejected. This is supported by scientific research as well as court decisions.
In a study published in Nature Biotechnology, scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK found that new genetic engineering techniques like CRISPR may cause ‘genetic havoc’. Researchers found large deletions and rearrangements of DNA near the target site that were not intended. Earlier studies also found that gene-edited plants such as soybeans had off-target effects in which gene-editing occurred at unintended locations. Friends of the Earth found on the basis of the actual applications of these techniques that this was in the direction of further increasing chemical intensive approach to agriculture.
Gene editing can also be used to construct ‘gene drives’ which aim to spread genetically modified genes across wild populations faster than normal inheritance allows. Once released, gene drive organisms cannot be recalled. This can have very adverse impacts and there have been several demands for moratorium on this. Use of this technology on mosquitoes and insects has proved very controversial and there have been several adverse impacts and high risks reported regarding this.
In fact the entire trend and tendency of big business interests and multinational companies gaining control over seeds and agriculture must be firmly opposed by farmers, health and environment activists all over the world because big business operates in ways that are harmful for sustainable livelihoods of small farmers, for environment and health. On the one hand they try to spread inherently unstable, unreliable, disruptive and dangerous technologies like GM and gene-editing and on the other also market herbicides and agro-chemicals that are expensive as well as harmful for health and environment.
One of the the most eminent scientist of India on this subject Dr. Pushpa Bhargava has clearly stated that the available evidence is overwhelmingly against GM crops. Dr. Pushpa M. Bhargava was the founder of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and in addition he was also the Vice Chairperson of the National Knowledge Commission. He had been appointed by the Supreme Court of India as an observer in the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee as he was widely perceived to be not only a very accomplished expert on this issue and that too of the highest integrity but in addition he was also seen on the basis of his past record as a very strong and persistent defender of public interest.
Therefore it is very useful and interesting to see what this very senior scientist with a comprehensive understanding of this issue had to say about GM crops in an article written for a leading newspaper The Hindustan Times. He wrote, “There are over 500 research publications by scientists of indisputable integrity, who have no conflict of interest, that establish harmful effects of GM crops on human, animal and plant health, and on the environment and biodiversity. For example, a recent paper by Indian scientists showed that the Bt gene in both cotton and brinjal leads to inhibition of growth and development of the plant. On the other hand, virtually every paper supporting GM crops is by scientists who have a declared conflict of interest or whose credibility and integrity can be doubted.”
In addition, in a review of recent trends titled 'Food Without Choice' (published in another leading newspaper The Tribune) Prof. Pushpa Bhargava drew pointed attention to the "attempt by a small but powerful minority to propagate genetically modified crops to serve their interests and those of multinational corporations (read the US), the bureaucracy, the political set-up and a few unprincipled and unethical scientists and technologists who can be used as tools." Further he warned, "The ultimate goal of this attempt in India of which the leader is Monsanto, is to obtain control over Indian agriculture and thus food production. With 60 per cent of our population engaged in agriculture and living in villages, this would essentially mean not only a control over our food security but also over our farmer security, agricultural security and security of the rural sector."
The strong stand of Dr. Bhargava against GM crops is supported by other eminent scientists in various parts of world. A group of eminent scientists organized under the Independent Science Panel have stated in very clear terms, "GM crops have failed to deliver the promised benefits and are posing escalating problems on the farm. Transgenic contamination is now widely acknowledged to be unavoidable, and hence there can be no co-existence of GM and non-GM agriculture. Most important of all, GM crops have not been proven safe. On the contrary, sufficient evidence has emerged to raise serious safety concerns, that if ignored could result in irreversible damage to health and the environment. GM crops should be firmly rejected now."
A lot of these high risks exist also in the context of gene-edited crops. The enormously powerful billion dollar GMO multinationals, known for innumerable deceptions and falsehoods, tried again to introduce confusion and uncertainty in public mind by coming up with the concept of gene-edited crops and claiming that these should not be subject to the same restrictions as GM crops. However in July 2018 the highest court in Europe ruled that gene-edited crops should be subject to the same strict rules and regulations as GM crops.
Earlier a review of the legal and scientific facts surrounding this debate by Dr. Janet Cotter and Dr. R. Steinbrecher (published in the Ecologist) had concluded, “ It is clear that gene-edited crops and animals need to be assumed as GMOs in the same way as current GM crops.” The court verdict is along similar lines.
With gene editing researchers can add, delete or modify bits of an organism’s genome. The European Court said that any crops edited using CRISPR or other gene-editing techniques must abide by the same laws restricting the use of GMOs. More specifically the Court concluded it “ considers that the risks linked to the use of these new mutagenesis techniques might prove to be similar to those that result from production and release of a GMO through trans-genesis ,since the direct modification of the genetic material of an organism through mutagenesis makes it possible to obtain the same effects as the introduction of foreign gene into the organism (trans-genesis) and these new techniques make it possible to introduce genetically modified varieties at a rate out of all proportion to those resulting from the application of conventional methods of mutagenesis.”
Welcoming the court verdict Franziska Achterberg, Greenpeace EU’s food policy director said, “ Releasing these new GMOs into the environment without proper safety measures is illegal and irresponsible, particularly given that gene editing can lead to unintended side-effects… The European Commission and the European governments must now ensure that all new GMOs are fully tested and labeled, and that any field trials are brought under GMO rules.”
A spokesperson of Friends of the Earth said, “We applaud the European Court of Justice for this forward looking decision.”
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The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include India’s Quest for Sustainable Farming and Healthy Food, Man over Machine, Protecting Earth for Children, and A Day in 2071
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