Vandana Shiva tells of loopholes in mustard biosafety report

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 5

Environmentalist and biosafety scientist Dr Vandana Shiva has submitted her evaluation on genetically modified mustard biosafety report.

The Union Ministry for Environment, Forests and Climate Change had placed some sections of the genetically modified biosafety report on its website and had invited the civil society organisations and experts to submit their comments by October 5.

Dr Shiva has raised several vital objections against the biosafety report and pointed out key loopholes in the report. “Far from providing food sovereignty, the herbicide absorbing mustard plant will destroy companion planting in India. Mustard is planted with wheat and gram and once the herbicide will be sprayed in the fields, it will kill wheat and gram, thus reducing overall yield and nutrition,” Dr Shiva said.

She said the report lacks information and evidence on patents and has no analysis to herbicide tolerance traits and further no socio-economic assessments had been carried out along with other health and biosafety tests.

It is noteworthy that the release of the biosafety report has started a heated debate among scientists, environmentalists, medical community and non-government organisations as many of the scientific and biosafety procedures have not been followed.