EXCERPT: The founder director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and vice chairman of the National Knowledge Commission, Pushpa M Bhargava said, "Risk assessment protocols for transgenic crops are weak across the world. There is absolutely no case for approval for field trials of Bt Brinjal. The risk assessment data provided by the producer of the crop, Mahyco and Monsanto, are extremely suspect. The only third party to have done a risk assessment is Intox Laboratory, which is not accredited."
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Bt brinjal faces consumers', scientists' wrath
ASHOK B SHARMA
Financial Express, posted online 12 September 2006 http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=140123

NEW DELHI, SEPT 11: There seems to be more troubles ahead for the country 's first transgenic food crop, Bt brinjal. Several consumer groups across the country have now come forward to oppose the proposed largescale field trials of Bt brinjal.

They found support from an eminent molecular biologist, Puspha M Bhargava who criticised the veracity of risk assessment of transgenic crops in the country.

The consumer groups bid to prevent the proposed largescale field trials comes in wake of the reported contamination of US rice exports due to the field trials of Bayer's genetically modified (GM) in that country.

EU and Japan has imposed ban on the contaminated rice from the US. Also there are reported cases of food contamination in France, Germany and the UK due to imports from China, where the GM rice under field trials have contaminated other food crops.

In this context, the consumer groups including Mumbai-based Consumer Guidance Society of India, Consumer Co-ordination Council, Delhi-based Voluntary Organisation for Consumer Education also urged the government to prohibit entry of unapproved GM food into the country and ask for mandatory labeling on imports so that no traces of unapproved GM materials enter the country.

Rotted Brinjal

* Consumer groups get eminent molecular biologist Puspha M Bhargava's support who criticised the veracity of risk assessment of transgenic crops like Bt brinjal in India

* GEAC had earlier appointed a 13-member panel to review the proposed field trials of Bt brinjal

Earlier faced with a barrage of opposition from the NGOs, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) decided to appoint a 13-member inhouse panel to review the case for the proposed field trials of Bt brinjal. Now with reputed consumer groups raising objections to the field trials, the GEAC will have a harder nut to crack.

The founder director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and vice chairman of the National Knowledge Commission, Pushpa M Bhargava said, "Risk assessment protocols for transgenic crops are weak across the world. There is absolutely no case for approval for field trials of Bt Brinjal. The risk assessment data provided by the producer of the crop, Mahyco and Monsanto, are extremely suspect. The only third party to have done a risk assessment is Intox Laboratory, which is not accredited."

Greenpeace India’s Divya Raghunandan said, "There is a need to ban GM crops in India, including Bt cotton, if we are to keep our food safe from contamination."