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Field Trials Information: Permissions & Locations |
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Field trials of GM crops are being taken up in hundreds of locations, often without even informing the farmer on whose land such trial is taking place! There are repeated reports of violations with regard to other institutional mechanisms to be followed for proper regulation (the local panchayat not being informed, the district officials being unaware of the trial, state governments kept in the dark etc.). What is important to note is that such field trials which could potentially contaminate our seed stock in perpetuity are being permitted by the regulators (GEAC and the DBT earlier) without any knowledge of where such field trials are actually taking place! Crop developers would be asked to come back to the regulator within 30 days after the permission for field trial is accorded to file information on the exact location - however, the regulatory history in India shows that the apex regulatory authority, GEAC, itself has no information provided by the companies. Even in December 2006, GEAC had to resort to sending "Show Cause Notices" to applicants for violating the permission orders and for not filing information on trial locations. If the regulators and their nominees do not even know where the trials are happening, how can they be monitoring for conformity to biosafety guidelines or for checking out efficacy of the technology? It is also alarming to note that field trial permissions are not preceded by complete biosafety testing and clearance (in terms of understanding short, medium and long term impacts on human beings, other living organisms, environment etc.) but are allowed to be taken up simultaneously with biosafety testing! Please note that no further approvals for field trials (or commercial cultivation) are to be permitted by GEAC as per interim orders issued by the Supreme Court of India in September 2006. Given in the links below are official documents which are lists of locations where trials have taken place, permission letters, details of monitoring teams etc. Large scale field trials of Mahyco's Bt Brinjal Multi Locational Research Trials (MLRT or Limited Trials) of M/s Sungro of Bt Brinjal Multi Locational Research Trials (MLRT or Limited Trials) of M/s Sungro of Bt Okra/Bt Bhindi Multi Locational Research Trials of Mahyco's Bt Rice RCGM trial locations for field trials of GM Rice and GM Okra - Kharif 2006 (details of farmers and villages included for some locations) Bt Okra multi-locational trials (Cry1Ac) by Mahyco permitted in July 2006 by RCGM - trial protocol, conditions and locations Field trials approved by RCGM in its May 23rd 2006 meeting including on cauliflower, brinjal, rice Bt Tomato [marker free] pollen flow study permission for Mahyco by RCGM Bt Rice [marker free] pollen flow study permission for Mahyco by RCGM Bt Brinjal [marker free] pollen flow study permission for Mahyco by RCGM Bt Okra [marker free] pollen flow study permission for Mahyco by RCGM RCGM approvals and pending approvals from May 2006 Bt Cotton trials - permissions given in 2006 FIELD TRIALS IN KHARIF 2005 All India Coordinated Research Project on Vegetable Cultivation [AICRP] report on Bt Brinjal trials Acharya NG Ranga Agriculture University, Hyderabad's reports on Bt Brinjal and Bt Okra trials Field trials permitted in 2005 by DBT (details of farmers and villages included for some trial locations) |