Sowing of the recently approved genetically modified (GM) mustard crop may not happen this season after the Supreme Court of India on November 10, 2022 adjourned the hearing of the case. The Supreme Court was to hear the arguments of the respondents after green group Coalition for a GM Free India — a body of environmentalists, activists and farmers — knocked on its doors, opposing the nod to the genetically modified crop by the central government. State-run biotech regulator Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change approved the environmental release of the controversial GM mustard variety — DMH-11 — on October 18. The adjournment of the Supreme Court hearing, which will now happen on November 17, 2022, puts the central government in a fix. It had planned to conduct the first sowings before the window ended. [GMW: See item below, which suggests some GM mustard may have already been planted. We'll update readers if and when more clarity dawns.] DownToEarth

 

 

Sustainable agriculture expert Kavitha Kuruganti believes that GM mustard may have been already planted near Bharatpur and Kanpur. There is no evidence that it will yield more than existing hybrid varieties, and herbicide tolerance is a concern, she writes. Hindu Business Line

 

 

Former Bihar agriculture minister Sudhakar Singh has raised concerns on the potential impacts of the genetically modified (GM) mustard seed – DMH-11 – on farming and the environment, and wrote to chief minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar asking for a total ban on its testing and marketing in the state. Singh said that GM mustard can have disastrous consequences, especially on small and marginal farmers of Bihar. Singh said that the argument given in favour of GM seeds that they will require less pesticides was not based on facts. “It was proved in case of GM seed and [GM] Bt cotton, as it was found to be consuming 37% more pesticides, contrary to pre-introduction claims in 2002. This can also increase the risk of cancer... In Maharashtra and Gujarat, many farmers committed suicide after suffering huge losses,” he added. The Hindustan Times

 

 

Between December 2021 and July 2022, the European Commission met with the seed and biotech industries to discuss the proposed deregulation of GMOs. Documents from the European Commission obtained by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) shed light on the legislative intentions of this body. They also show that the Commission advised companies on how to communicate in order to get support for a new regulatory framework for GMOs and the "new GMOs". The documents reveal that the European Commission’s objective is clearly aligned with the demands of the industry. In an interview with Bayer, it said, "our legal framework must make sure that suitable NGT [new genomic techniques or new GM] varieties - which are not GMOs - once available will be grown in Europe". Inf'OGM

 

 

As a changing climate intensifies extreme weather, agricultural multinationals are hyping the ability of genetically modified crops to boost yields when facing drought, heat or even heavy rainfall. But skeptics of GM foods still aren't buying it. "They told us in the '70s and '80s that GMOs were going to be more nutritious, fix the nitrogen level, withstand everything," said Michael Hansen, a senior scientist at Consumer Reports. "What did we see? Mainly herbicide-tolerant crops." Dana Perls, senior food and agricultural program manager at Friends of the Earth, said GMOs "go hand in hand with harsh chemicals that perpetuate pesticide pollution", harming insect populations, soil health and water quality. France24

 

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