|
Bt Cotton (Open Grazing) and Impacts on Livestock |
|
Civil society groups like Andhra Pradesh Goatherds' & Shepherds' Union, Anthra and Centre for Sustainable Agriculture have been trying to bring to the attention of GM crop regulators and other concerned agencies about an unusual phenomenon of animals falling ill and/or dying after grazing on Bt Cotton fields. These groups have been demanding a systematic, scientific and independent investigation into this phenomenon. Such reports of animals deaths/illnesses are present from 2005 itself from Andhra Pradesh. However, the regulators chose to ignore such reports and did not investigate them further. Here, we bring you links to some official documents that relate to such livestock illnesses/deaths, in the form of extracts obtained from a postmortem register with the Animal Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL), Warangal district; laboratory analysis findings of the Veterinary Biological Research Institute of a couple of samples in 2006 and 2007; an advisory put out by the Joint Director-Animal Husbandry department of Adilabad district, Andhra Pradesh asking farmers not to graze their animals on Bt Cotton and finally, an admission by the Union Agriculture Minister of State in August 2006 in the Parliament that the AP government reports the death of 132 animals after grazing on Bt Cotton.
In its 82nd meeting on January
11th 2008, the GEAC concluded that "analytical reports received from the
IVRI Izatnagar and Department of Animal Husbandry, Hyderabad has confirmed
that sheep death in AP cannot be attributed to Bt cotton" [Ref.:
http://www.envfor.nic.in Joint Director-Animal Husbandry (Adilabad) advises farmers not to graze their animals on Bt Cotton Extracts obtained under RTI - Post-mortem Register, ADDL, Warangal - 2006 Minister of State for Agriculture in Parliament - August 2006 Veterinary Biological Research Institute (VBRI) findings on Bt Cotton (Warangal plant sample) - 2006 Veterinary Biological Research Institute (VBRI) findings from Adilabad samples - 2007 |