India: doctors and scientists call for GM ban

yes, very disappointing.

Obama's appointee Tom Vilsack supports GMO foods.

You go guys! Destroy MOnsanto, it is the devil.

And also, how do you weigh a "good yield" (which in India's case has not happened this time out due to rainfall pattern changes due to climate change, therefore, so much for their miracle seeds) against a human life when that yield is unhealthy? There are more important things in life besides profits.

They do not want them either, and therefore should not have them forced on them. The people of India have already seen what BT cotton is doing to their soil and livestock. Any GM seed that can be grown can be replaced with a traditional seed. It is just a moneymaking scheme for Monsanto. However, the GM apologists like the climate crisis apologists never consider the people who live in these areas.They are simply supposed to give up their traditional ways of life for the big multinationals. Well, I stand with the farmers of India because they know their land and they should be allowed to cultivate it as they see fit, not as their greedy governments tell them to.

The health cost of GM foods is a major concern for developing nations. The statistical models offered here are eye opening. Please do everything you can to continue to support this movement of saying no to GM. The health and safety of future generations depends on our actions today.

I've been trying to do my homework on this subject, since before a few days ago i really didnt know too much about it. I have always been against genetic manipulation, as it is unnatural and can only result in horrible things. What will we be when we're no longer human? A parent once posed the question to me, "if your autistic son could be cured by genetic therapy, wouldn't you do anything for that?" My answer, "My son was born as he was meant to be, and I would never, ever change him". I dont care if they cure Autism tomorrow, my son will not be among them. But I digress. As for the issue at hand, I am horrified that I have been feeding my children GMOs their entire lives, without ever knowing I was doing it. I am currently trying to research what food brands and products use GM products (such as Kellogs using Monsanto's sugar in their cereal). When I get more info I will post the list of products and brands i find. If anyone can help me with this, I would be ever so grateful!

That didn't sound like the best solution for them considering the calories were less and the problem with antibiotics when they get sick very often with bacterial infections.

So maybe they can utilize other things that we have improved, such as recycled things to add to soil to make it retain water better during dry seasons etc.

I am sure that if the regions are analyzed by someone that is up with the tech, there are plenty of ideas that can be put to work to increase their food output without GM crops.

It just takes more work. At some point someone decided it was EASIER to hand out seeds.

What a wonderfully bold move by a country that has to scramble to feed over 1 billion people - but is choosing to do so naturally. A hearty thanks, but no thanks, to the corporate MONSTER of unnatural GM Frankenfoods - MONSANTO.

interesting about the caloric content. i've noticed GM produce getting bigger and bigger, and yet it doesn't seem to be proportionate in color and flavor, like it's simply inflated with water as a filler or something.

they just need to be shut down before any more damage can be done

Monsanto is evil. And no matter how they try to spin themselves now as an "agriculture" company when they are not even farmers, they will always be a CHEMICAL company and one that poisoned the world with Agent Orange, PCBS, and now this. GM crops are a blight on our environment and I agree, they must be stopped.

Permaculture is the best answer for high-yield sustainable food production. But you can't do permaculture with GM.

Let's get into something that we can LIVE with.

I hope they are successful in their endeavor.
GM crops need to be stopped.

cont.

The doctors endorsed Dr Pushpa Bhargava's comments on the regulators compromising objectivity by basing their approval processes based on data submitted by the applicant itself and emphasized the need for mandatory independent research by mandatory elaborate protocols including for long term research.

Meanwhile, another independent analysis from Institute of Health & Environmental Research, New Zealand (led by Dr Judy Carman) to be submitted to the Supreme Court soon, also concluded that the studies presented by Mahyco cannot be used to show that GM brinjal is safe to eat, particularly when population health issues are taken into account. This analysis points to insufficiency of the type of studies taken up for the safety assessment, that statistical results have not been reported to a suitable standard in addition to sample sizes being insufficient (type II errors).

From the link:

EXTRACT: ...if only 1 in 1,000 of exposed people later gets ill, or has an underlying illness made worse, then over a thousand million Indians would be ill and requiring treatment. This would result in a huge cost to the Indian government and community. It is therefore important to ensure that the safety assessment of GM brinal is sound and thoroughly covers all the major concerns of toxicology, allergy, and reproductive health. The studies presented by Mahyco are simply inadequate to determine these matters. (item 3)
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1.Doctors for Food & Bio-Safety call for a moratorium on GM crops/foods
Press Release, January 14 2009

New Delhi: As the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) sits down today for a 'discussion on Bt Brinjal proposal under large scale trials' in the Ministry of Environment & Forests, eminent medical experts from across the country from a network called "Doctors for Food & Bio-Safety" called for a moratorium on all open air trials of GM crops in India. These experts, after perusing through the first independent analysis of Mahyco's biosafety data of Bt Brinjal by France's CRIIGEN, sent a resolution to the GEAC to this effect.

They pointed out that the French analysis of Mahyco's data adequately addresses and questions the validity of the so called bio-safety data of Bt Brinjal in terms of: validity of biological/ animal experiments carried out by the applicant incl. study design; Adequacy of bio-safety testing protocols used; Validity of statistical analyses carried out including sampling procedures; Glossing over/unscientific basis of overlooking important findings.

The doctors pointed out that the obsolete technology used in Bt Brinjal incorporating antibiotic resistant markers is likely to have disastrous implications for developing countries like India which are struggling with communicable diseases burden. This may jeopardize National Health Programmes for control of Tuberculosis (already struggling with MDR/ XDR tuberculosis), diarrhoeal diseases, sexually transmitted diseases etc.

They further observed that the decreased calorific content (15% lesser) in Bt Brinjal and altered consumption in different studies will mean impact on nutrition which an already malnourished public could avoid.

The changes in bilirubin indicate effect on hepatic functions. Study with lactating cows showed increased milk production indicating hormonal effects. If this is so, what are the implications on pregnancy, foetal health, reproductive functions etc. There is an obvious requirement for longer term studies especially on reproductive health. Absence of these aspects in Mahyco's dossiers is not acceptable, the doctors said.

In Ayurveda and Siddha, herbs are used according to the taste (Rasa), medicinal property of phyto-chemical (Guna), strength (Veerya), the end taste after digestion (Vipaaka Rasa) and synergistic medicinal property (Prabhaava). Any intrusion in the basic component of a drug may cause major change in the constitution of the drug, leading to unknown impacts. The difference in solamargine and solasonine is the clear evidence of loss of synergy and imbalance in the phytomolecules, which may largely affect the therapeutic and nutritive benefit of brinjal. There is no study as part of the impact assessment done to study related aspects, they pointed out.