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[SANET-MG] death of sheep
ISIS Press Release 03/05/06
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 Director 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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