Farmers raise alarm over the US pressure on India to import GM feeds
Anti-GM (Genetically Modified) farmers' organisations and activists have written to the Ministry of Commerce, specifically to Piyush Goyal, urging that India should not agree to any self-certification regimes regarding the GM-Free status of American exports to India.
They also strongly advised against accepting imports of GM animal feeds or alfalfa.
The US government has been pressuring the Indian government to allow the import of dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) and GM alfalfa for livestock feed as part of a trade deal.
Rajesh Krishnan, a farmer from Wayanad, Kerala, and Co-Convenor for the Coalition, wrote that "Self-certification declaration will also lead to import of contaminated GM produce from US to India."
He also pointed out that self-certified certifications from the US will be highly unreliable as it does not maintain any segregation between GM and non-GM produce.
The Coalition also objected to proposed imports for DDGS and alfalfa hay under the proposed trade deal. It highlighted that importing GM animal feed would lead to reduced prices for farmers and further decrease in domestic animal feed production.
It also highlighted how GM alfalfa in the US has contaminated non-GM alfalfa, too, because of which it has had to face rejections from other countries.
In its letter, it also pointed to its earlier letter to the GM regulator GEAC, where it cited the Supreme Court Technical Expert Committee's findings from the promoter's own studies, which showed negative indications in rats and cows regarding their body parameters and milk yield, respectively, after GM consumption.
Whilst the earlier letter also pointed to the negative impact on sheep from Bt, it also highlighted gaps in the numerous government studies. The Coalition further called for longer-term, independent studies of the effects on animals from GM.
The Coalition also reiterated an earlier point on implication to exports impact to EU made by GTRI saying that "When India’s GM-Free status (except in cotton) gets compromised through any concessions provided to the USA now on its GM crop/feed imports, there are implications for our exports to markets that prefer non-GM supply chains."