Plans to introduce a controversial GM variety of brinjal (aubergine / eggplant) in Bangladesh are opposed by 100 civil society organisations around the world. As Mae Wan Ho reports, the issue is arousing powerful passions …
Bt-Brinjal will have negligible benefit but would present an enormous hazard to human health. It would be profound disservice to Bangladesh if Bt-Brinjal were allowed to enter her food supply.
100 civil society organisations have written to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to oppose the commercialisation of a genetically modified (GM) eggplant.
Known locally as Bt-Brinjal, the GM eggplant contains a synthetic insect-killing toxin similar to Cry1Ac from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (hence the acronym Bt) targeted at the fruit and shoot borer.
Bt toxins are already known to have many off-target effects, including toxicity to beneficial pest predators, animals and human cells.
The Bt-Brinjal approved for commercial growing in Bangladesh last November originated from Mahyco-Monsanto, but the varieties approved were developed by scientists in Bangladesh. The company tried to commercialize Bt Brinjal in India several years ago and failed.
["Mahyco licensed and used the cry1Ac gene obtained from Monsanto and two supporting genes (nptII and aad)"]
No bio-safety studies
The risk-assessment dossier submitted by the company essentially contained no studies on bio-safety, and that only came to light when the Indian Supreme Court ordered the company to release the raw data.
The letter sent to the Bangladesh PM – from groups representing farmers, indigenous communities, consumers, women, scientists, and / or promoting sustainable development and biosafety – points out that Bangladesh has a vast native diversity of Brinjal that would be put at risk by the release of the Bt-Brinjal.
As Brinjal is largely open-pollinated, transgene contamination poses a great threat, the letter says. And it raises important issues over safety.
On 29 September 2013, the High Court of Bangladesh ruled that the government should not release Bt-Brinjal without assessing the health risks.
It also ordered the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, the agriculture secretary and the health secretary to submit a report within 3 months, after conducting independent research on health safety in line with standards set down by the Codex Alimentarius.
