India urged to halt gene cotton field trials

     AHMEDABAD, India, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Indian environmental activists
called on Monday for suspension of field
trials and production of gene-modified cotton until further studies were
conducted on possible health and environmental
hazards.

     The call for a 10-year moratorium follows the detection of
large-scale illegal planting of genetically modified (GM)
cotton in India's western state of Gujarat.

     The government ordered the destruction of the GM cotton last
Friday.

     While the government does not currently permit commercial
production of GM crops, it has allowed a few firms and
research bodies to conduct field trials under the supervision of
nominated agencies.

     ``The government should stop the field trials and further
deployment of seeds in the field until it develops measures to
control the hazardous effects of GM crops,'' said Vandana Shiva of the
Research Foundation for Science, Technology
and Ecology.

     Manju Sharma, secretary in the federal Department of Biotechnology,
told Reuters last week the government was
likely to allow commercial production of GM crops by March.

     The first approval is likely to be given to Maharashtra Hybrid Seed
Company (MAHYCO), which has been
conducting large- scale field trials of its GM cotton variety in
collaboration with U.S-based biotech firm Monsanto
(MON.N).

     Green activists said the government should implement a stringent
regulatory framework to make seed companies
liable for any negative impact of GM crops on the environment or human
health.

     ``There is a veil of secrecy as far the negative influence of GM
crops on the ecology and humans are concerned.
Therefore, companies should be asked to make public all information on
the positives and negatives of GM crops,''
Chunibhai Vaidya of Gujarat Lok Samiti, a non-government organisation
(NGO), said.

     The federal Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) asked the
Gujarat government to identify and destroy
BT (bacillus thuringiensis) cotton sown on an estimated 10,000 hectares.

     The move to destroy the cotton has led to calls from NGOs to make
the seed company compensate farmers.

     An Agriculture Ministry official in Gujarat said the government had
yet to decide on any compensation package.