Controversies of Bt Brinjal

             * There are many controversies surrounding the development and release of genetically modified foods, ranging from human safety and environmental impacts to ethical concerns such as corporate control of the food supply and intellectual property rights. 

             * The brinjal is an important food crop for India and the potential commercialization of a genetically modified variety has drawn support and criticism.

             * Although it is a major food crop in India, brinjal production is relatively low with fruit and shoot borer infestation a major constraint to yield.

             * Proponents of the technology believe the Bt brinjal will have positive effects for the Indian economy and the health of the farmers.

             * Field trials conducted on research-managed farms carried out by Mayhco and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research suggested a 42% pesticide reduction and a doubling of the yield was possible. 

             * The economic gain for consumers, developers and farmers was estimated to potentially be US$108 million per year with an additional $3–4 million saved due to health benefits associated with decreased pesticide use.

             * French scientist, Gilles-Eric Seralini of the Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering reviewed the safety information. 

             * He raised concerns about some of the differences between feeding trials using the genetically modified and non-modified Brinjal and criticized some of the testing protocols.

             * The EC-II responded to the concerns raised by Seralini and other scientists in their report, although opponents asserted that these concerns were not adequately addressed. 

             * Concerns have also been raised about a possible conflict of interest, with some of the scientists appointed to the GEAC being involved in developing their own GM products, that the decision by the EC-II was not unanimous, and about the reliability of safety data originating from Mahcyo run trials.

             * The imposed moratorium has been criticized by some scientists as not being based on any compelling scientific evidence and potentially setting Indian biotechnology back decades. 

             * Others feel the critical issue is not the safety of the GM technology, but its corporatization and there are claims that India’s crop protection industry was a major player in preventing the commercialization of the Bt brinjal.

             * India's National Biodiversity Authority is probing the crop scientists involved in developing the Bt Brinjal for allegedly violating Indias 2002 Biological Diversity Act by using local cultivars and foreign technology without their permission.

             * More recently, raw research data on toxicity studies done by Mahyco in rats fed on Bt brinjal for up to 90 days was analyzed by an independent expert Dr Lou Gallagher, who found that rats fed with Bt brinjal experienced " organ and system damage and had ovaries at half their normal weight, enlarged spleens with white blood cell counts at 35 to 40 per cent higher than normal with elevated eosinophils, indicating immune function changes". 

             * Toxic effects to the liver were seen in the form of elevated bilirubin. The company either suppressed these facts or misrepresented them while submitting data to the regulator - the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC). 

             * The report concluded that release of Bt brinjal for human consumption cannot be recommended given the current evidence of toxicity to rats in just 90 days.

Posted in: Today's G.K