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THIRD WORLD NETWORK BIOSAFETY INFORMATION SERVICE 19 November 2004
Dear friends and colleagues,
RE: BAYER STOPS GE RESEARCH IN INDIA We wish to bring to your attention that Bayer Cropscience in India has ‘discontinued’ all its projects on genetic engineering and is concentrating on conventional plant breeding research instead. This was revealed in a letter from the company in reply to Greenpeace’s queries. This is an important development as India, being the second largest country in the world, and with 80% of the population involved in agriculture, the Indian market for agro-chemical and seed companies is enormous. This retreat follows two decisions that set Bayer back earlier this year. In March 2004, the company announced they would be pulling out of GE crop research in the UK. A few months later, in June, Bayer announced they would not pursue commercialization of GE canola in Australia. Bayer’s letter to Greenpeace India concedes that research into engineered cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, tomato and mustard seed has all been halted. For your information, the correspondences between the Bayer Cropscience and Greenpeace are attached below. We have also included the press release by Greenpeace on this development.
With best wishes, Lim
Li Lin and Chee Yoke Heong Email: twnet@po.jaring.my Website: www.twnside.org.sg
REF: Doc.TWN/Biosafety/2004/I Item 1 (Letter by Greenpeace to Bayer-India) Greenpeace 3360, 13th ‘B’ Mair, HAL-2 Stage Indiranagar, Bangalore 560038 Tel: +91-80-51154861 Fax: +91-80-51154862 Email: info@greenpeaceindia.org Visit: www.greenpeaceindia.org Mr Alok Pradhan Corporate Communications Bayer Crop Science Mumbai 12-10-04 Dear Sir This is with reference to our meeting on 6-10-04 in Mumbai, where your team was unable to answer our questions on the transgenic research undertaken by your company as they did not have the information with them. You assured us on their behalf that you would provide us with satisfactory responses on receiving a formal request from us. It is in this regards that we would like to know: Thre present status of the following projects undertaken by you (Pro-Agro - PGS) a. Mustard with bar, barnase, barstar b. Tomato with Cry1 A (b) c. Brinjal with Cry 1 A(b) d. Cauliflower with Cry 1 H/Cry 9C e. Cabbage with Cry 1H/Cry 9C 2. If any of these projects were abandoned the reason for the decision. 3. A list of crops (with the specific traits) that are being experimented with by your company presently. Looking forward to your response Divya Raghunandan Campaigner Greenpeace Item 2 (Bayer-India reply to Greenpeace) Bayer November 4, 2004 Dear Ms Raghunandan, This is with reference to your letter to us dated October 10, 2004, wherein you had included some questions. Our response to these questions is as follows: 1.. (a) This project was discontinued. This decision has already been communicated to the relevant Government authorities. (b), (c), (d), (e) All the projects mentioned in your letter have been discontinued. This decision has also been communicated to the concerned Government authorities 2.. These projects were discontinued a couple of years ago due to changes in our global research strategy 3.. Overall, Bayer Cropscience India will continue to focus in the coming years on its conventional plant breeding research programme. With best regards, Aloke V. Pradhan Head-Corporate Communications Item 3 Press Release, 15 November 2004 Bayer pulls out of Genetic Engineering Research in India; Admits to Greenpeace the Future is in ‘Conventional’ Breeding. In an admission of immense significance to the entire genetic engineering (GE) industry, Bayer Crop Science has conceded to Greenpeace India that all its projects on genetically engineered (GE) crops have been ‘discontinued.’ This admission is a direct result of a protracted direct action by Greenpeace at the Bayer headquarters in Mumbai on 30th September 2004. In a letter sent to Greenpeace last week, Aloke V. Pradhan, head of Corporate Communications states Bayer’s future plans for India, “Overall, Bayer Crop Science India will continue to focus in the coming years on its conventional plant breeding research programme.” “We don’t need genetically engineered crops to feed India,” said Divya Raghunandan, genetic engineering campaigner for Greenpeace India. “Around the world, in fact, the promises made by the genetic engineering industry have been unfulfilled, whether of increasing crop yields or reducing pesticide use.” (see footnote 1) She continued, “It doesn’t surprise us that Bayer is giving up GE experiments in India. They saw the writing on the wall - the Indian public was not going to accept their manipulated cabbages and cauliflowers - and they cut their losses. It’s time for the rest of the industry to give up on this misguided and inappropriate technology.” The significance of this pull-out for Bayer, and indeed the entire genetic engineering industry, cannot be overestimated. In the second largest country in the world, with 80% of the population involved in agriculture, the Indian market for agro-chemical and seed companies is enormous. This retreat follows two decisions that set Bayer back earlier this year. In March 2004, the company announced they would be pulling out of GE crop research in the UK. A few months later, in June, Bayer announced they would not pursue commercialization of GE canola in Australia. Bayer’s letter to Greenpeace India concedes that research into engineered cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, tomato and mustard seed has all been halted. Bayer’s withdrawal from GE research around the world is part of a larger pattern of retreat in the global biotechnology industry. For example, in a high profile turn-around, Monsanto globally abandoned genetically engineered wheat research earlier this year. The company also shelved its Australian work on genetically engineered canola one month prior to a similar decision by Bayer. “It is clear that popular resistance to genetic engineering is not diminishing as the industry had hoped it would,” said Doreen Stabinsky, GE campaigner for Greenpeace International. “No matter what country we’re talking about, consumers are on the same page. They don’t want to eat genetically engineered food. That’s good news for farmers and good news for the environment.” Divya Raghunandan, GE campaigner, Greenpeace India: +919845535406, draghuna@dialb.greenpeace.org further information: Protests in Bombay against Bayer; Campaign against GM Rice in India Coalition against BAYER-dangers Fax: (+49) 211-333 940 Tel: (+49) 211-333 911 please send an e-mail for receiving the English newsletter Keycode BAYER free of charge. German/Italian/French/Spanish newsletters also available.
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