Farmers protest stray cattle menace, oppose GM mustard

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, December 10

Farmers and members of some voluntary organisations today staged a dharna in front of the mini-secretariat in Faridkot against the menace of stray animals. The farmers alleged that strays bulls and cows were destroying their crop.

Besides, these were causing accidents on roads, they said. None of the roads of the city is safe as stray animals are roaming everywhere, they said.

“The situation is worse during night hours or foggy conditions, when drivers fail to notice stray animals, leading to accidents,” said Bohar Singh, vice-president of BKU (Sidhupur-Ekta).

The farmers also opposed the move to approve the genetically modified (GM) mustard in India.

In a memorandum submitted to the Deputy Commissioner, the farmers under the aegis of Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM) alleged that like all other GM crops which had “objectionable health and environmental impact”, GM mustard too could have serious implications. They also demanded that the MSP for basmati be fixed.