In an important victory for public health and the environment, the European Court of Justice ruled today that safety tests conducted by the chemical industry and used by regulators to assess the dangers of pesticides must be disclosed. It argued that such research falls under “information on emissions into the environment”, as defined under the Aarhus Convention and the EU law implementing this Convention.
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Superweeds: It’s game over for GM herbicide-tolerant crops
The widespread planting of GM glyphosate-tolerant crops has led to the spread of glyphosate-resistant weeds. Attempts to control the weeds through the use of other herbicides are not always effective as weeds often are resistant to those chemicals too, even before they are used. At best this practice can provide only a temporary solution.
GHMC asks data on GE importer
Hyderabad: GHMC food safety officials have written to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India seeking details of the firm SR International which supplied genetically engineered products that were illegally imported from the United States.
Organic standards will exclude next generation of GMOs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Organic Standards Board voted unanimously on Friday to update U.S. organic standards to exclude ingredients derived from next generation genetic engineering and gene editing.
Circle of Poison
A look at the powerful pesticide industry, its effect on the developing world and how small farmers are fighting back.
The Corrupt GMO and Pesticides Industry
The ‘agrochemicals-agritech industry’ should not be regarded as some kind of faceless concept because that lets individuals off the hook. It is run by identifiable individuals who sell health-and environment-damaging products,co-opt scientists, control public institutions and ensure farmers are kept on a chemical treadmill. From CEOs and scientists to public officials and media/PR spin doctors, specific individuals can be identified and at some stage should be hauled into court for what amounts to ‘crimes against humanity’.
Part 2 – GM Mustard: What is wrong with the appraisal processes?
To begin with, public funds should not have been wasted on developing an herbicide tolerant (HT) genetically modified (GM) crop. Further, regulators should not have ever entertained an application for a HT crop and allowed it to come this far. It is by now established that no testing of GM mustard has been done as needed for HT crops. This is because both the crop developer and the regulators have been denying that it is an Herbicide Tolerant crop! They argue that they are not recommending it to be used as a HT crop, as though farmers are going to wait for such recommendations, if they see a “convenience factor” in using a chemical instead of employing women for removal of crop weeds. To that extent, all testing so far for environmental and health safety impacts automatically stand null and void, since the use of herbicides will certainly leave its own environmental and health effects, apart from serious socio-economic impacts.
Part 1 – GM Mustard: How reliable are the appraisal and decision-making processes?
Genetically modified (GM) crops are back in the debate in India, with the Indian Government standing on the verge of approving what could be the first transgenic food crop to be cultivated in the country – GM mustard. A technical panel within the apex regulatory body called Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) in the Environment Ministry has already given a clean chit to the environmental and health safety of this GM mustard. Following this, the GEAC put up a pre-concluded document with only summaries of biosafety studies done on GM mustard, and gave 30 days for the public to give their feedback on this sanitized document called “Assessment of Food & Environmental Safety” (AFES) of GM mustard, which is purportedly a report by its technical sub-panel which studied the 4000-odd pages of biosafety dossier submitted by the crop developer.
Genetically Modified Crops’ Entry Into India Based On Blatant Fraud
The case of genetically modified (GM) mustard in India has reached the Supreme Court. The government has said it will bow to the court's eventual ruling. That ruling could green-light GM mustard as first commercial GM food crop. If this goes ahead, there will be wide-ranging, devastating implications for Indian food and agriculture.
GM Crops — Difficult Questions for the Modi Government
The protest organised by the satyagraha against GM Mustard at Jantar Mantar on October 25 was much more than an ordinary dharna. On the one hand representatives of the Opposition parties like the Congress, CPI-M, CPI and AAP lashed out at the support extended by the Modi Government to GM crops whose serious hazards are well-established. On the other hand there were also representatives of organisations like the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) which are a part of the Sangh Parivar and yet have firmly opposed the pro-GM crop stand of the BJP-led government and more particularly its efforts to introduce the GM Mustard crop.