Thanks to the courageous resistance of several leading scientists who continue to speak the truth despite increasing pressures from the powerful GM crop and GM food lobby, the many-sided and in some contexts irreversible environmental and health impacts of GM foods and crops, as well as the highly disruptive effects of this technology on farmers, are widely known today.
Instead of acknowledging these concerns, however, the GM lobby based in certain Western countries—supported by giant multinational corporations—has continued to push aggressively for the spread of GM crops in more countries and the increased import of GM food and feed. The pressures exercised by US-based lobbyists, in particular, have been extremely strong and have become even more dangerous as US trade policy turns increasingly aggressive.
While high tariffs make headlines across the world, the attempt to use trade negotiations to impose GM crops or weaken resistance to GM food imports could prove even more harmful in the long run. The problems of US farmers, too, stem from big business domination of agriculture, which has degraded the farming environment and exploited farmers—forcing them to buy costly inputs while selling their produce cheaply. Yet manipulative propagandists distract attention from this injustice by claiming that opening international markets to America's GM products is the solution. This is entirely false. To help US farmers, they must also be freed from corporate control.
Instead, the US is pushing harder than ever to spread GM crops and technology to regions where prospects for ecological, soil-friendly farming could be destroyed by GM varieties and the accompanying agrochemicals, including herbicides. Monsanto faced countless lawsuits due to the harms associated with its products. It then merged with another corporate giant—Bayer of Germany—combining forces to expand the spread of GM crops. China, which many had hoped would provide resistance, has unfortunately shown limited commitment on this matter.
This places a particularly heavy responsibility on India’s policy makers to show global leadership by firmly opposing GM food crops and GM food imports, despite very strong pressure from the US (assisted by local collaborators). India should instead position itself as a leading centre for GM-free, naturally grown food. That is where the future lies. The country has already made the mistake of introducing GM cotton and must not compound this error by approving GM food crops or permitting GM food imports.
As the push for GM mustard intensifies, it should be stated unequivocally that edible oils, being crucial to daily diets, require the highest level of precaution. GM mustard must be firmly rejected.
Multinational companies have already gained significant control over the critical seed sector. Should they succeed in spreading GM technology across the global South—especially in major countries like India—they will secure dominance over the world’s food and farming systems, with disastrous consequences for farmers, biodiversity and humanity.
One of the earliest senior scientists to warn against this threat was the late Dr Pushpa M. Bhargava, founder of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and former Vice Chairperson of the National Knowledge Commission. Considered a mentor by many people’s science movements, he was appointed by the Supreme Court of India to observe the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee because of his widely acknowledged expertise and integrity.
It is therefore relevant to recall his views. He stated, “There are over 500 research publications by scientists of indisputable integrity and without conflict of interest that establish harmful effects of GM crops on human, animal and plant health and on the environment and biodiversity... On the other hand, virtually every paper supporting GM crops is by scientists who have a declared conflict of interest or whose credibility can be doubted.”
In a review published in The Tribune titled "Food Without Choice", he drew attention to efforts by “a small but powerful minority” to promote GM crops to serve the interests of multinational corporations (especially US-based), the bureaucracy, political establishments and “a few unprincipled and unethical scientists and technologists who can be used as tools.” He warned that the ultimate aim—led by Monsanto—was to gain control over Indian agriculture and food production, which would undermine food security, farmer security and rural livelihoods.
Dr Bhargava’s concerns are echoed by many other scientists across the world. The Independent Science Panel (ISP), comprising experts from multiple disciplines and countries, has stated clearly that “GM crops have failed to deliver promised benefits and are posing escalating problems on farms.” They note that transgenic contamination is unavoidable, meaning GM and non-GM agriculture cannot coexist. They further warn that no convincing evidence exists to prove GM safety; instead, rising evidence points to risks that could cause irreversible harm to health and the environment.
Their report, The Case for a GMO-free Sustainable World, highlights further dangers inherent to genetic engineering, including enhanced risks of horizontal gene transfer and the possibility of creating dangerous pathogens. The infamous “accidental” creation of a killer mouse virus in 2001 illustrates these fears. Newer genetic engineering techniques such as DNA shuffling allow the creation of millions of novel recombinant viruses in minutes—far beyond anything produced through evolution—and these tools rely heavily on disease-causing organisms and even potential bio-weapon materials.
In this background, proposals to introduce GM mustard in India must be taken extremely seriously. Oilseed crops demand the highest caution, as edible oils are used in nearly every cooked meal. Mustard also has medicinal uses; its leaves are eaten as vegetables, and its oilcake feeds dairy cattle.
India is richly endowed with diverse, high-nutrition oilseeds—groundnut, mustard, sesame and many others—well-suited to local soils and crop rotations. Past efforts to build self-reliance in edible oils using these traditional varieties have succeeded when pursued sincerely. Yet powerful corporate interests are pushing an oilseed path based on GM crops and imported technologies, despite well-documented environmental and safety hazards.
Mute Schimpf of Friends of the Earth Europe warns that biotech firms are seeking sweeping patents that could cover even natural plants with similar traits—enabling them to monopolize seeds and restrict farmers’ rights. This represents a worsening of what many call the “great gene robbery.”
As global awareness of GM risks grows, billion-dollar multinational interests are trying to blur public understanding through new terms such as “gene-edited crops.” They argue that gene-edited plants should not face the same scrutiny as GMOs. But in July 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled that gene-edited crops must be regulated exactly like GMOs.
Earlier, Dr Janet Cotter and Dr R. Steinbrecher concluded in The Ecologist that gene-edited crops and animals must be considered GMOs. The Court later agreed, noting that gene-editing techniques allow direct genetic modification with risks similar to transgenics, and at a scale impossible with conventional breeding.
Greenpeace EU’s Franziska Achterberg welcomed the verdict, calling deregulated release of new GMOs “illegal and irresponsible,” particularly given the risk of unintended mutations. Friends of the Earth also applauded the ruling.
India must exercise extreme caution, as powerful interests are pushing aggressively to introduce GM food crops and use gene-editing loopholes to secure approvals. The current battles over GM mustard and gene-edited crops illustrate the enormous corporate drive to penetrate India’s food system—with support from a network of local collaborators. These struggles are not only about mustard or brinjal; they concern the future of India’s agriculture, food safety, biodiversity and sovereignty. Our vigilance must therefore be collective, informed and unwavering—especially at a time when the US is deploying aggressive trade tactics to pressure countries to accept GM crops, food and feed.
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The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include India’s Quest for Sustainable Farming and Healthy Food, Planet in Peril, Man over Machine, and 14 Crucial Questions on GM Crops (and its Hindi edition)
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