The Hindu Business Line : Panel to probe cattle deaths

Hyderabad April 11 The GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee) under the Ministry of Environment and Forests has agreed to set up a panel to conduct a scientific investigation on reports of deaths of cattle that consumed Bt cotton leaves in Andhra Pradesh.

The GEAC in a recent meeting understood to have mooted the idea while discussing the representation made by Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA, Hyderabad) regarding sheep mortality due to consumption of Bt cotton leaves.

The GEAC meeting agreed to set up a fact-finding committee comprising Director of VBRI (or his nominee), Dean of Veterinary College of Andhra Pradesh, Joint Director (Department of Animal Husbandry, Andhra Pradesh) and Dr Nagaraju of Cotton Research Station (Andhra Pradesh).

The mandate of the fact-finding team includes site visits in Adilabad and Warangal districts and discussions with farmers, local veterinary hospitals as well as the State Government.

The decision to set up the panel, however, didn't enthuse CSA and the AP Goats and Sheep Breeders' Union, which had been complaining against the toxicity of the leaves.

"On hearing the news (of setting up the team), we have met the officials of Animal Husbandry and demanded that the farmers be involved in the studies," Mr Jamalaiah, President of the CPM-affiliated Union, told Business Line.

Mr Ramanjaneyulu of CSA felt that it all depended on the samples the team collected, the sites it visited and people it met.

Public notice

Though some NGOs and farmers' associations had been arguing that consumption of Bt cotton leaves would threaten cattle grazing in the area, a public notice issued by the Joint Director of Animal Husbandry Department (Adilabad) two months back triggered a fresh discussion.

The notice asked the farmers not to graze their animals on Bt cotton fields. "Because of an unidentified toxic material in these (Bt cotton), it has come to our notice that animals which are grazing on these fields are showing symptoms of shivers, convulsions, running nose, bloat, bloody diarrhoea," the notice pointed out.

Reacting to this and other reports, Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (India) Ltd, which supplied the Bt technology to cottonseed companies, had clarified that the Bt cottonseed was released for commercial cultivation after evaluation of bio-safety data, which included feeding studies.

Citing a GEAC meeting held in May last, MMBL said animal feed studies held on cows and fish indicated no toxic effect.

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