More on Mass Death of Sheep in India After Grazing in GECotton Fields

original

More on Mass Death of Sheep in India After Grazing in Genetically Engineered Cotton Fields
May 11, 2006
http://www.gaia@gaianet.org

Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Farmers in India are reporting the deaths of thousands of sheep after grazing in Bt cotton fields.  A fact-finding team from the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) found that in just the four villages they visited in Andhra Pradesh state, thousands of sheep had died.  The sheep had been grazing exclusively on Bt cotton fields (post-harvest) and all exhibited similar symptoms according to the farmers and post-mortems.
The report found that at least 1,800 sheep died, but the number is likely to be much higher since only a small sample of villages were visited.  The fact finding team found that in these instances, roughly 25% of sheep grazed on Bt cotton plants died.
Until the causes are properly investigated, we cannot know for sure. However the report concludes that a possible cause is the Bt toxin, which is concentrated in the young  leaves and flower pods of the plants which the sheep were eating.
One farmer reported that his sheep had died after grazing on Bt cotton fields last year, and so he had refrained from doing the same this year. His sheep had not died this year.  Overall though, grazing of sheep on Bt cotton was more widespread this year than in previous years, and there has been a correspondingly high mortality rate.
CSA are calling for a moratorium on all Bt cotton crops until the problem has been fully investigated and the cause of the deaths identified. They are also calling for all farmers to be fully compensated.
Best wishes,
Teresa
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more at<original, including link to articlein the guardian[br />

The Guardian link just goes back to the CSA.

http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6494

I too am frequently fussy about sources, but this looks good enough for me.

pnorman

yet mentions later that the sheep were eating young leaves and flower pods. Wouldn't the eating of young leaves and flower pods have to be eaten pre harvest?

a few days back, but I could SWEAR it was New Zealand?

The Bt trail of dead sheep, ill workers and dead villagers over three years

At least 1 820 sheep were reported dead after grazing on post-harvest Bt cotton crops; the symptoms and post-mortem findings strongly suggest they died from severe toxicity. This was uncovered in a preliminary investigation conducted by civil society organisations in just four villages in the Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh in India. The actual problem is likely to be much greater

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/MDSGBTC.php

Scary stuff :scared:

Want some spermicidal corn?

Epicyte needed only 100 acres of corn land to grow the special GM spermicidal corn producing a vastly greater quantity of antibody for the spermicide at a cost of a mere few million dollars, a cost reduction of some 90%. Epicyte presented their GMO spermicidal corn as a contribution to the world “over-population” problem. They estimated the commercial availability in 2006 or 2007.

After the press release, the discussion of Epicyte’s breakthrough vanished. The company itself was taken over in May 2004 by a private Pittsboro, North Carolina biotech company. Biolex acquired Epicyte Pharmaceutical. Nothing more was heard in any media about the development of spermicidal corn. The theme vanished from view.

Informed reports were that the research continued on a secret basis because of the politically explosive impact of corn whose consumption would make human male sperm sterile. Mexican farmers were already in an uproar over the unauthorized spread of genetically engineered corn into the heart of the Mexican corn seed treasure in Oaxaetwa One could imagine the impact were corn, which was the dietary staple of most Mexicans, suddenly analyzed to contain Epicyte’s spermicidal antibodies. “Some spermicidal corn on the cob, or perhaps a killer tortilla, mister?” Or what about that next bowl of corn flakes?

http://www.currentconcerns.ch/archive/2005/06/20050609.php

That would be a pair of jeans to not go comando in.
:scared: