Concerns with GM Crops

G. V. Ramanjaneyulu

Centre for Sustainable Agriculture

Presentation to students at University of Seattle30th May, 2013

Status of GM crops in the World

• Seventeen years after its introduction, only 3.4% of the world’s agricultural land is sown with GM seed

• 63% of this is in the United States and Brazil - confined to four crops (corn, soybean, cotton and canola) grown primarily as animal feed or for fibre

• Just five countries, including India, account for almost 90% of the total agricultural land under GM

USA - 40.8%Brazil - 21.4%Argentina 14.03%Canada 6.8%India 6.3%Total = 89.33%

US GM cropsSoy 91%Corn 73%Cotton 87%Canola 80% (Canada)

Living Beings

Geneticsand

Environment

Genetics X Environment

Green Revolution Paddy• Improved seed (Varieties, hybrids)• Nursery, Puddling, Row transplantation• Standing water• Chemical Fertilisers• Chemical Pesticides

System of Rice Intensification• Any seed (Traditional, imp varieties and hybrids)• Nursery, Puddling, Square transplantation• Thin film of water• Organic Fertilisers• No chemical Pesticides

Understanding basics

Plant

Cell

Nucleus

Transfering characters between organisms

What is Bt cotton

Bt geneEnzymes

Bacillus thurengiensis

SporeToxin

Bacteria

Cotton

Bt gene inserted into cotton

Major Concerns

• Biosafety– Human health– Environment– Biodiversity

• Sovereignty and control– Market monopolies– Intellectual Property Rights

Why regulate?• Irreversible processes capable of changes upto

evolutionary level – “Living Modified Organisms” or “Novel Organisms”

• Involves millions of livelihoods• Involves basic food safety & food security questions• Involves environmental implications – natural

resources and sustainability• Involves socio-political/cultural rights of farmers &

consumers• Involves trade security issues• Also to conform to international obligations….

Biosafety & Beyond: Impact Assessment

In the short, medium and long term,• Safety to human health• Safety to beneficial organisms, livestock etc.• Safety to other organisms and the environment (soil

biota etc.)• Agronomic benefits (component of risk assessment in

India) – are there no other alternatives?SOCIO-CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS, POLITICAL

IMPLICATIONS ETC.IS BRINGING IN A GE CROP MORALLY & SOCIALLY

JUSTIFIABLE (Gene Technology Act, Norway)

Ideal regulatory regimes…• Should be guided by policy level decisions (Is there a need, if

yes where, what, how, who etc.)• Those policies should be formulated in a democratic fashion

(Referendums / “GM Nation” / Citizens’ Juries)• Should have legislative backing (Acts & not just Rules)• Should have a mix of technical (scientific) and social

perspectives governing decisions • Decision making should be transparent, scientific, holistic

and long term in outlook and should involve primary stakeholders (farmers, consumers, state govts)

• Should have independent research & peer review• Should have elements of independent oversight, appeal,

redressal, liability

Indian Experience with Bt Cotton• Key issues

• Relevance of GM crops• Biosafety issues• IPRs andMarket monopoly• Conflicts of interests and scandals

• Studies on NPM vs/Bt cotton• Documentary evidences on Violations of regulations

in field trials, • Illegal GM food crop field trials• First reports on Bronze wilt, Tobacco Streak Virus,

Mealybug• Evidences on sheep death• Studies on Environmental Risk Assessment and Socio

Economic Impacts• Contamination• IPRs

http://www.indiagminfo.org

GM foods in pipeline

Impact of herbicide tolerant crops

Herbicide resistant weeds increasing in USA

• About 61 million acres of GM crops are now plagued by herbicide resistant weeds, according to Stratus Agrimarketing’s report.

• A study by Dr Charles Benbrook of Washington State University, USA, found that though insecticide use went down the herbicide use went up, leading to an overall increase in pesticide use of 404 million pounds from 1996 through 2011 due to use of GM crops Glyphosate Resistant WeedsSource : Stratus Agri marketing Report (2013)

Can labelling work?

• Third world food habbits• Who is guilty?• California case….

• Contamination of centres of genetic diversity. E.g. Cotton, rice, brinjal –India is centre of origin/diversity

• Unsolicited gene transfer to farmers’/other varieties• Co-existence not possible:

• organic cotton and Bt Bikeneri narma in India• LL rice in US• Maize in CIMMYT• Wheat in US

Genetic Contamination inevitable

Monopolyzing market• IPR Driven• Patents over genes, gene transfer

mechanisms, markers, promoters etc(Bt/herbicide resistant plants at least 8 patents Golden rice 72 patents IAAA)

• Mergers and Acquisitions-70% seed market controlled by 10 companies

Broad patents

Though patents are granted only for specific innovations, instances of broad patents are surfacing

• Cohen/Boyer patent covers all DNA transfer

• US patent no. 5,004, 863 for Agrobacterium mediated gene transfer

• US patent no. 5,120, 657 for Accell=FE Gene gun

• US patent no. 5,159,135 covers all genetically engineered cotton plants

• EU patent no, 0,301,749,B1 covers all genetically engineered soybeans

• Similar broad cotton patent has been granted India and applications are pending in Brazil and China

Implications to agriculture

Percy Schmeiser, Bruno, Saskatchewan, facing legal bills of about 600,000 Canadian dollars

ISAAA (International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications) identified 70 patents and 16 tangible property constraints (Material Transfer Agreements- MTAs, licenses, agreements etc.) that could have implications for commercialization of Golden Rice. The potential legal complexities of negotiating these patent licenses led the inventors Potrykus and Beyer to strike a deal with Greenovation (A University spin-off biotech company based in Freiburg, Germany) and Astra Zeneca (A Multinational Life sciences company)

In 1994 CICR announced success in developing Bt cotton variety, not commercialised due to IPRs not being in place

In 2012 CICR was forced to withdraw the Bt Bikeneri narma from market

All Bollgard 10 more Cotton hybrids with Bt developed by various companies are pending with GEAC, all are under license from Monsanto paying royalty

AP government moved to MRTP to get the seed price reduced

Community Managed Sustainable Agriculture in Andhra Pradesh

Basic Principles Regenerative, ecologically sound practices Organized action by communities in

planning, implementing and managing the program

Govt/ngos playing facilitating agency role

2004-05 started with 225 acres in one dist and reached 7 lakh acres in 2007-08 in 18 dist. World Bank says this is a good tool for poverty eradication and now promoted as part of NRLMWith 50 % development expenditure one can double the incomes of the farmers A national program called Mahila Krishi Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) is launched based on this experiencce

0.225 25 200 700

1300

2000

2800

3500 3600

0.1 1580

300600

10001500 1600 1770

2135 1997

1394 1541 1381

1015

0500

1000150020002500300035004000

Acerage ('000 acres) Farmers ('000) Pesticide use (MT Active Ingradient)

Farmers and area covered under CMSA

http://65.19.149.140/pilots/cmsanew/index.html

States/UTs 2004-05 2005-06 2006-072007-08 2008-09 2009-10kg/ha 2000-01

kg/ha 2009-10

Punjab 6900 5610 5975 6080 5760 5810 0.98 0.82Haryana 4520 4560 4600 4390 4288 4070 0.84 0.68Andhra Pradesh 2135 1997 1394 1541 1381 1015 0.34 0.09Maharastra 3030 3198 3193 3050 2400 4639 0.17 0.24Tamil Nadu 2466 2211 3940 2048 2317 2335 0.32 0.45Gujarat 2900 2700 2670 2660 2650 2750 0.30 0.29Kerala 360 571 545 780 272.69 631 0.31 0.26Karnataka 2200 1638 1362 1588 1675 1647 0.17 0.14

Status of pesticide utilization in different states**

**Source: http://ppqs.gov.in/IpmPesticides.htm MT of active ingredient

Average Reduction in costs and net additional income for different crops

Crops Reduction in cost due to NPM (Rs)

Reduction in costs due to use of organic fertilisers/manures (Rs)

Net additional income (Rs)

Paddy 940 1450 5590

Maize 1319 2357 5676

Cotton 1733 1968 5676

Chillies 1733 1968 7701

Groundnut 1021 3462 10483

Vegetables 1400 390 3790

3rd Party Evaluation of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) : Community Managed Organic Farming implemented by SERP

Evaluation TeamProf. R. Ratnakar, Director, Dr. M. Surya Mani, Professor, EXTENSION EDUCATION INSTITUTE, (Southern Region), Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India

What we need?

• Long term and intergenerational biosafety to be established

• Consumer choices• Cartagena Biosafety Protocol: Avoid in

countries of centres of origin and centres of diversity

• CBD Nagoya and Kaulalumpur sub-protocal: Liability and Redress mechanism

• Promote alternatives where possible