Mass Deaths in Sheep Grazing on Bt Cotton

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Mass Deaths in Sheep Grazing on Bt Cotton

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Wed, 03 May 2006 12:19:38 +0100

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ISIS Press Release 25/04/06

 

Mass Deaths in Sheep Grazing on Bt Cotton

*******************************************

 

At least 1 800 sheep reported dead from severe toxicity

after grazing on Bt cotton fields in just four villages in

Andhra Pradesh India

 

Dr. Mae-Wan Ho

 

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.

 

This latest report confirms the findings of an earlier fact-

finding investigation, also conducted by civil society

organisations, on illnesses in cotton farm workers and

handlers caused by Bt cotton in another cotton-growing

state, Madhya Pradesh, in India ( " More illnesses linked to

Bt crops " , this series).

 

And not so long ago, we reported similar illnesses and

deaths among villagers in the Philippines linked to exposure

to Bt maize since 2003 ( " GM ban long overdue, dozens ill and

five deaths in the Philippines " , SiS 29).

 

It cannot be mere coincidence that similar Bt toxins from

the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis incorporated in

the genetically modified crops are involved in all these

cases; but the regulators have done nothing. Things are so

bad that the European Commission levelled an accusation of

bias towards the biotech industry against its own food

safety regulatory body ( " European Food Safety Authority

criticised of GMO bias " , this series).

 

Grazing lands decline as commercial crops increase

 

***************************************************

 

Grazing lands in Warangal district have declined steeply as

commercial crop cultivation expanded in recent years, and it

has become customary for sheep and goats to be allowed to

graze on crop residues after harvest.

 

This year, there have been several media reports of sharp

increases in the deaths of sheep and goats after grazing in

Bt cotton fields. There were similar reports in 2005, when

complaints were lodged with the Joint Director of

Agriculture by a few NGOs, but no action has resulted.

 

Between February and March 2006, the shepherds of Warangal

district again reported high mortality in their flocks after

grazing in harvested Bt cotton fields. Some shepherds

reported to the animal husbandry department and requested

confirmation on whether the deaths were due to grazing on Bt

cotton.

 

Still getting no response, a fact-finding team of five

members was constituted by the Andhra Pradesh Shepherds

Union: two members from Anthra (NGO working on livestock

issues), veterinary scientist Dr. Ramesh and a field

researcher Mr. Apparoa; Mr. Jamalaiah, Secretary of the

Andhra Pradesh Shepherds Union; and two scientists from the

Centre for Sustainable Agriculture working on Bt cotton

issues, Mr. S. Ramprasa and Mr. G. Rajashekar.

 

The team travelled through three mandals in Warangal

district on 22 April 2006 and met with shepherds and

farmers. The villages visited were Ippagudem in Ghanapur

mandal, Valeru and Unkkucherla in Dharmasagaram mandal, and

Maadpalli in Hasanparthi mandal.

 

Twenty-five percent of sheep dead within five to seven days

 

*************************************************************

 

The Ippagudem village in Ghanapur mandal has 100 households

belonging to the shepherd community. Forty shepherds and ten

farmers attended the group meeting when the team visited.

They said the deaths began after their sheep grazed on Bt

cotton leaves or bolls. This year was the first time some of

the shepherds and farmers cultivated Bt cotton hybrids,

believing in the propaganda that they can get more yield and

profit. They started grazing from the end of January to

March. The deaths began within a week of continuous grazing

on the Bt cotton crop residues. Mr. J. Parmesh, one of the

shepherds got diarrhoea after consuming the affected sheep's

meat.

 

The shepherds said that the sheep became " dull/depressed "

after 2-3 days of grazing, started coughing with nasal

discharge and developed red lesions in the mouth, became

bloated and suffered blackish diarrhoea, and sometimes

passed red urine. Death occurred within 5-7 days of grazing.

Sheep from young lambs to adults of 1.5-2 years were

affected.

 

The shepherds took their sheep to the government veterinary

hospital in Warangal for post-mortem, some shepherds also

performed their own post-mortem, as is often the practice of

shepherds across Andhra Pradesh. They found black patches in

the intestine and enlarged bile duct and black patches on

the liver. The shepherds said that the Assistant Director of

Animal Health Centre in Warangal told them these deaths

appeared to be due to grazing on Bt cotton fields, as she

has earlier seen such cases. She prescribed some medicines

for the sick sheep, but very few sheep responded, and most

died.

 

Of the 2 601 sheep that belonged to 42 shepherds, 651 sheep

died, giving an average mortality rate of 25 percent.

 

A shepherd in another village, Akkapalli reported that he

had cultivated Bt cotton the previous year and allowed his

sheep to graze, which resulted in deaths. This year, while

he still cultivated Bt cotton, he did not allow them to

graze on it, and his sheep did not die.

 

On the way to Dharmasagaram mandal, the team spoke to a

shepherd Shri Kochla Malliah, who has 100 sheep, but 5 died

after grazing on Bt cotton crop residues. He reported that

sheep had also died in adjoining villages Molakagudam,

Kunipatti and Kondaparthi

 

More deaths and identical symptoms in other villages

 

*****************************************************

 

Twenty-nine shepherds participated in the meeting in Valeru

village in Dharmasagaram mandel. Sheep deaths occurred

during February – March 2006. The symptoms described were

identical to those reported in the previous village.

 

Of 2168 sheep owned by the 29 shepherds, 549 sheep died,

again giving an average mortality rate of about 25 percent.

 

In the remaining villages, it was not possible to have a

group meeting with the shepherds. But the team was informed

that the sheep population is nearly 1 000 in Unkkucherla

village, Dharmasagaram mandal, and 150 adult sheep and 70

lambs died within 4 days of grazing on Bt cotton fields

between February and March 2006. In Maadipalli village

Asanparthi mandal, there are 20 households rearing some 3

000 sheep, and nearly 400 died due to grazing on Bt-cotton

fields from the second week of February through to March.

 

They took their animals to the Warangal veterinary hospital

for post-mortem. The Assistant Director at the Animal Health

Centre who conducted the post-mortem advised them to stop

grazing their sheep on the Bt cotton fields, saying the

deaths could be due to the Bt cotton, and prescribed some

medicines for the affected sheep.

 

The team met with the Assistant Director who conducted the

post-mortems. When questioned, she replied that while it

appeared that the deaths occurred after grazing on Bt cotton

fields, and could be due to the effects of Bt toxin, it was

not possible to arrive at a definitive conclusion, as

farmers also spray different types of insecticides and

pesticides on their crops, and this factor confounds the

observations. She also said there were no kits or other

facilities available within the Department to enable her to

arrive at a firm diagnosis that the deaths were due to Bt

cotton.

 

When asked to see the post-mortem results/reports, she said

she was not permitted to show them to the team, as

permission of the Joint Director was needed. But the Joint was not present that day.

 

Demands for in-depth investigation and moratorium on Bt

cotton

 

*********************************************************

 

The team concludes that " The preliminary information

gathered from meeting shepherds across 3 mandals, strongly

suggests that the sheep mortality was due to a toxin, and

most likely Bt toxin from the foliage. " They were impressed

that shepherds from villages located at 20-25 km distance

from one another, reported an identical history of grazing

on the Bt cotton fields continuously, identical symptoms and

death within 5-7 days of grazing exclusively on Bt cotton

plant residue, primarily on young leaves and pods. The post-

mortem symptoms, as observed by the shepherds, suggest

" severe irritation of the intestines and associated organs

(bile duct, liver) connected to the absorption and

assimilation of food and processing of toxins. "

 

The team is calling for more " in-depth exhaustive

investigation on the impact of Bt toxin on the local Indian

livestock " , and a " complete moratorium on Bt cotton

cultivation until conclusive results show that the Bt toxin

is completely harmless " . Furthermore, they call for the

shepherds who suffered losses to be compensated.

 

What is not yet clear from the report is whether all the

sheep that did not fall ill or die also grazed on Bt cotton;

if not, then the mortality rate is even higher than

reported.

 

Source

 

********

 

Mortality in Sheep Flocks after Grazing on Bt Cotton Fields

– Warangal District, Andhra Pradesh. Report of the

Preliminary Assessment April 2006,

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

 

 

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