Milk Yield is Reduced by about 50% in Buffaloes due to feed based on BT Cotton Seeds - Say Farmers in India

BT Cotton is being promoted the world over by the governments at the cost of health of humans and animals alike. Farmers in India have seen BT cotton, the genetically modified monster plant killing thousands of sheep. Now the animal feed based on this dreaded genetically modified (GM) plant is reducing the milk yields of their animals to half and making them sick.Is it right for the governments to push a technology with proven killing ability? Farmers are not lodging any complaint against the companies regarding ill effects of BT cotton which is surprising. Now some civil society action is required to be taken to help the farmers and stop the companies from pushing these unsafe GM seed in the market targeting the illiterate farmers in India.

Village Sadalpur, District Hisar, Haryana State Dated : 29 Feb. 2008

While the corrupt government officers and unscrupulous traders in cotton growing states of India is busy in counting their black money in people especially farmers have been experiencing a survival question. BT Cotton is making them sick, their animals are becoming unhealthy and unable to yield milk to normal level.

Another startling Revelation has come from a reputed farmer of the area. According Mr Balwant Son of Mr Het Ram Punia in Sadalpur village, milk yield of his Buffaloes has been reduced to about 50 % due to feed based on BT Cotton Seeds. Oilcake of BT Cotton seeds is widely fed to animals in this part of north west India only about 5 hours drive from New Delhi, the capital city of India, which is in the Haryana State.

Mr Balwant who is a well known farmers in the area says that when he fed his buffaloes oilcake from non-GM cotton he did not observed any health problem and decline in milk yield. He says that BT Cotton is quite harmful to the animals and it will definitely affect people who consume milk from animals fed with feed based on BT Cotton Seeds.

The state government and local agricultural universities and other agricultural institutes of the government have kept mum on the issue of harmful effects on BT cotton on animals and human beings (millions of farmers are affected by the skin problems like itching, rashes, allergy, etc.)
References:
1. http://www.i-sis.org.uk/BTAllergyNorthIndia.php
2. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8702
3. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=1868

This article was first published at http://myharyana.meraharyana.in/2008/02/milk-is-drying-up-thanks-to-plants-with.html where one can comment, interact and share more information on this issue.

contributed by Dr Sudhir Kumar Kaura, PhD Genetics (Dr Sudhir Kumar Kaura is a biotechnologist and geneticist who has dedicated his life in elimination of dangerous technologies like genetic engineering in plants and animals. He believes that BT Cotton and other genetically modified [GM] are being promoted by the Governments in India and other countries at the cost of health of humans and animals and ecology)

Phone: 00919354172987, 00911662229163 (from outside India)
Phone: 09354172987, 01662229163 (from within India)
E-mail: lokvaani 'AT' rediffmail.com

Support Us:
To help the civil society action for elimination of genetically modified plants and such dangerous technologies and products, kindly make donations at http://www.ECOIndia.co.cc and to all organisations as well, serving the international community in a selfless manner.