GE rice in India

Hi friends,

India is at a critical juncture. Food regulatory authorities there have approved field trials of genetically engineered (GE) rice. India's Supreme Court has delayed the trials with a number of conditions, but they won't be enough to stop field trials for long.

It's time to act. India's food regulatory authorities need to receive a blast of messages from around the world - from people in countries which currently import Indian rice - to understand how costly and unwise these GE field trials would be.

Please send a message to the food-for-export regulatory authority (APEDA)
http://www.email.greenpeace.org/dwzzqah_ufffgap.html?RECIPID=888904

Global rice traders and marketers could reject GE contaminated rice products from India, costing farmers dearly. Greenpeace's recent report on the economic impacts of last year's US rice contamination scandal shows that GE field trials can cause massive economic losses.[1]

GE contamination spreads, and they should know it. While basmati growing areas in India are GE free, non-basmati rice growing areas aren't. Non-basmati rice is also a major export crop. GE field trials in non-basmati growing areas may contaminate both types of rice which are frequently grown near or next to each other.

Naturally, there are Indian farmers who also oppose field trials of GE rice. Our message to the food regulatory authority is also addressed to the farmers' group, the All India Rice Exporters' Association, to show them our solidarity.

This is the second time this month we're writing to you about GE. You've been fantastic! The European Commission's ears are ringing with the sound of over 35,000 messages sent in under 10 days. Sometimes the Commission's servers bounced/returned protest emails because there were just so many coming in at once. Can you forward this message to friends and help us beat that target?

TAKE ACTION NOW
http://www.email.greenpeace.org/scnnsll_ufffgap.html?RECIPID=888904

Thanks,
Matthias, Rajesh, Eoin and everyone at Greenpeace