To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of reports of moderate to severe allergic reactions of agricultural workers when exposed only to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton in Impact of Bt Cotton on Farmers’ Health (in Barwani and Dhar District of Madhya Pradesh) by Ashish Gupta et al.

The Government believes that the findings reported in 2006 by Ashish Gupta et al should be treated with some caution. The report is based on interviews with a small number of farm workers and does not support a reliable conclusion that the symptoms described were due to exposure to Bt cotton. This is in a context where Bt cotton has been grown by millions of farmers around the world, including seven million in India alone, and we are not aware of any substantiated evidence of a problem with allergic reactions. A number of studies have indicated that the cultivation of Bt cotton has had a positive effect on the health of farm workers, because it has meant fewer incidents of accidental pesticide poisoning.