The Controversy:
Inspite of all the encouragement and success, the conservation programme
faced opposition from certain quarters. Several `imaginative' stories appeared
in newspapers maligning those associated with the conservation project
in the KAU. Finally the KAU had to come out with a "White Paper" to clear
the doubts created.
Between 1993 and 1996, 19 animals died
under mysterious circumstances, which were proved to be due to malicious
poisoning. KAU had a collaboration for applying the embryo transfer technology
for the faster multiplication of the endangered Vechur cattle with Kerala
Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (MILMA), which had an approved centre
of the department of Biochemistry, Govt. of India. Even this productive
collaboration was criticised by a section of the media as having ulterior
motives. A Fax message from Dr. A.P.Usha, Asst. Professor, KAU, who was
doing her Ph.D. in the Roslin Institute, UK, requesting details on Vechur
cattle and hinting a possibility for collaboration was reproduced in some
media as with aspersions about the very intention.
But their allegations caught the attention
of the scientific community with Vandana Siva taking up the issue. In her
article, "Challenges to Animal Protection" which appeared in the Journal
of Indian Veterinary Association, Kerala (JIVA) volume 3, issue 2, April-June
1998, she stated: "The Vechur cattle, an almost extinct variety of Indian
indigenous breed is the smallest cattle variety in the world. Endemic to
the moist landscape of Kerala the uniqueness of this rare variety is its
high fat content in milk. It needs very little feed and one kg of fodder
for the day is enough for this short and stumpy draught cattle. At present
its local population is not more than hundred despite the conservation
efforts by the Kerala Agricultural University. The Roslin Institute of
the Edinburgh University of the U.K., the creator of Dolly, the Sheep,
has surreptitiously obtained the embryos of this rare Indian breed to facilitate
their patentable transgenic research. The pharmaceuticals Proteins Ltd,
a branch of the Roslin Institute, has got patent on cows, sheep and other
mammalian bioreactors (including human) for using animals as pharmaceuticals
factories to reduce chemicals in mammary glands. Now as reported, loaded
with a patent on Vechur and with command over shifting genes technology
called "Biotechnology", they can turn our little Vechur into walking factories
in their fields and earn billions of dollars through butter production
by churning the high content of fat in its milk."
A Malayalam daily quoted the extract with
exaggeration leading to a controversy and confusion in the minds of people.
Other sections of the media also got involved in the issue, some of them
clearly exposing the baselessness of the issue. The article titled `A cow
and a controversy' published by R. Krishnakumar in the `Frontline' of 9th
April 1999 is an example. His interviews with Vandana Siva, Harry Griffin
of Roslin Institute,UK, K.N.Syamasundaran Nair, Vice-Chancellor, KAU, P.G.Nair,
former director of the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal,
are very much revealing. Extracts are:
1."Dr.Shyamasundaran Nair, KAU Vice-Chancellor, told Frontline: `Nobody
can arrogate to themselves the right to patriotism. Vandana Siva 
should
recognise the integrity of her fraternity. Patent searches conducted at
the request of the university by ICAR officers and scientists at the M.S.Swaminathan
Research Foundation have drawn a blank. Export of live cattle is encouraged
in the country and cattle from Kerala might have been going out. In that
respect, it is still a free-for-all situation. But the university is confident
that no Vechur germplasm has gone out from its genetically upgraded stock
of Vechur cattle. I will support my scientists fully on this and the Government
or any other agency is free to conduct an inquiry. The university will
provide all material and help to any such agency'"
2."One of the KAU scientists who were recently at Roslin, Assistant Professor
A.P.Usha, told Frontline that while at the Institute on a research project
on Dexter cattle (another dwarf breed), she had informally discussed with
some scholars there the existence of the Vechur cattle and suggested in
writing to the KAU the possibility of a collaborative research with Roslin
on them.`The proposal was rejected by the then Vice-Chancellor, A.M.Michael.
But when I returned, I found a big controversy had bloomed in some local
newspapers that KAU scientists and a foreign firm had hatched a conspiracy
for lucrative biotechnology research on Vechur cattle. The fact remains
that the proposal was rejected and that was the end of it, she said."
3."P.G.Nair, former Director of the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources
(NBAGR) in Karnal, Haryana, now based in Thrissur, described the entire
controversy as `ridiculous'. `Vechur cattle is special in that their milk
production is higher-but only when compared with that of other native cattle
of Kerala. However, compare its production of three to four kg a day with
the 40kg to 50kg a day of an exotic breed like Holstein and its economic
value becomes clear. Its supposed value owing to the high fat content in
its milk is important only in the Indian context. The trend the world over
is to produce animals that give low-fat milk. The suggestion that the Vechur
germplasm has been smuggled out, especially because of the alpha-lactalbumin
found in the Vechur cow's milk, is absurd because this protein is found
in the milk of many mammals, including humans', he said."
Extracts of interview with Vandana Siva:
-
The varying nature of allegations
you have made on different occasions with respect to the Vechur cow has
created confusion and may help the very people or institutions whose activities
you are trying to expose. What exactly are your charges?
Just as there are cases of major biopiracy
in plant genetic material there are indications and possibilities that
similar biopiracy in animal genetic wealth from India could also be taking
place. Since the Roslin Institute, which is linked to the leading firm
in animal biotechnology, PPL Therapeutics, has major interests in unique
genetic trades for genetic engineering in animals for the production of
chemicals and pharmaceuticals, bioprospecting for animal genetic material
is a necessary part of its activities. The cloning and patenting of `Dolly'
was part of the collaboration between PPL and Roslin for genetic engineering
of animals. The research association between the Kerala Agricultural University
(KAU) and the Roslin Institute as well as the fact that the KAU holds the
germplasm of the unique Vechur cow suggest that the potential for bioprospecting
links between Roslin and the KAU needs to be explored.
-
On what basis did you make
the allegations?
The basis of my claim that an epidemic of
biopiracy is taking place is ten years of research of monitoring of biopiracy-based
patents.
-
Prof. Graham Bulfield, Director
and Chief Executive of the Roslin Institute, has in a message to the KAU
denied having any knowledge about the Vechur breed of cattle. He also said
that the Roslin Institute "certainly has no germplasm nor have we patented
them"
Prof. Graham Bulfield's claim that he does
not know about the existence of Vechur cow is no proof of the Roslin Institute
not having used genetic material from that breed. His claim that the Institute
has no germplasm is false since a genetic engineering laboratory cannot
work without germplasm. It is its basic raw material.
-
The KAU has also produced
a letter from Suman Govil, Principal Scientific Officer of the Department
of Biotechnology of the Govt. of India, that she has contested a patent
search in British and United State's patent data bases using the department's
InterNet patent search system for all patents listed in the database from
January 1,1976 and found no patent claimed to have been taken by the Roslin
Institute.
Suman Govil's letter that the Institute has
no patents is false since we have a list of 14 patents held or applied
for by the Roslin Institute in Europe. One of these patent claims clearly
refers to `Bos indicus', an Indian breed.
-
What characteristics of the
Vechur breed do you think would be so important and unavailable in other
cattle/animals that Roslin or any other research institution would be interested
in them for transgenic research?
The Vechur breed is the most important cattle
breed for the conversion of feed to protein, which obviously makes it very
significant for an industry trying to do mass production of chemicals through
"animal factories" for which corporations such as PPL hold patents
for "mammalian bioreactors", that is, the use of mammary glands of animals,
including humans, to produce specialised chemicals.
-
Some KAU scientists are of
the opinion that you cleverly put on the KAU the onus to prove what they
describe as your "false allegations". There is also a feeling that you
may have been tricked into making such a claim by persons in the KAU itself
because of professional rivalry.
I have no connection with any scientist in
the KAU. I do not make myself available for petty personal politics meant
to further personal agendas. My concern about biopiracy is not related
to the KAU's internal politics; it is much larger than the issue of the
KAU and the Vechur breed.
Extracts of interview with Harry Griffin,
Assistant Director, Roslin Institute:
-
What is your response to
the allegations made against your Institute with regard to the Vechur patent
issue?
As one headline said, mystery certainly shrouds the Vechur patent issue.
The story is entirely groundless. The Roslin Institute does not have any
programme for conservation of "germplasm" of rare breeds from either the
UK or overseas. We have never carried out any research on Vechur cows and
we have not attempted to import embryos or germplasm or patent the breed
or its genome. The claim that we have erased 36 references to work on Vechur
cattle from our Website is simply nonsense. We have done no such work and
no reference on Vechur cows has ever been on our Website.
The Roslin Institute recently received a request for clarification from
the Dean of Kerala the Agricultural University, Dr.S.Sulochana, and our
Director, Dr. Graham Bulfield, faxed reply on August 7. The essence of
his response was that we did not have a clue what this story was about.
The Roslin Institute has received no communication from the Indian Council
of Agricultural Research.
In subsequent reports, Ms. Vandana Siva cites a particular patent number,
EP 765390. This application is entitled "Alpha-lactalbumin gene constructs"
and was submitted by PPL Therapeutics, not the Roslin Institute. PPL's
application refers to the use of gene constructs for the targeting of the
expression of human alpha-lactalbumin to the mammary glands of transgenic
cows. The aim is to produce milk of enhanced nutritional value for premature
infants. There is no connection whatsoever with any specific breed of cattle,
Indian or otherwise.
Let me therefor review the evidence so far. An Indian environmentalist
claims that the Roslin Institute has "stolen" the Vechur and applied for
patent on it or its genome. No evidence to support this allegation is provided
and indeed news reports from India refers to "charges" and "rumours" and
to a senior university professor who was apparently prepared to give the
report some limited credence but was not prepared to be named. A search
by an Indian Government official found no evidence for any relevant patent.
Moreover, the supposed value of the Vechur cattle - the high fat content
of its milk - is in fact a liability in Europe and North America where
the demand is to decrease milk fat. And when challenged to provide evidence
about the alleged patenting by the Roslin Institute, Ms. Vandana Siva cites
a patent application submitted from an entirely different organisation
that concerns the introduction of human genes in cows.
-
Is the Roslin Institute or
any of its associated institutions involved in any way with research on
Vechur cattle or, for that matter, on any other Indian breed?
No.
-
Was there any formal or informal
proposal from anyone in the KAU for collaborative research on Vechur cattle?
No.
-
What is the procedure your
institute or its associated institutions follow, in case you are interested
on research on an indigenous breed of cattle like Vechur? How do you usually
go about it?
We have no programme on indigenous breeds.
-
Given the fact that research
institutions in developing countries are often ill-equipped to conduct
advanced biotechnology research, how do you react to frequent complaints
in India that research institutes in developed countries are patenting
genes derived from indigenous Indian breeds to the detriment of Indian
interests?
We would like to see the evidence that this is actually happening. We are
certainly not involved.
The searches conducted by RAFI, Canada,
Swaminathan Foundation, Chennai, Indian Council of Agricultural Research,
New Delhi, scientists and environmentalists disproved the allegations raised
by Vandana Siva and others. The "White Paper" released by KAU on the basis
of all these has brought out the truth.
JIVA, which had published Vandana Siva's
article wrote in the next issue (Vol.4, Issue 1, January to June 1999 -
page 43) "We salute the good work and dedication of the scientists behind
the conservation of the rare breed. JIVA had no intention to destroy their
morale or to tarnish their image and reputation. And the speech of Srimathi
Vandana Siva was first published in 1997 in "Animal Citizen", a national
journal, and this was only reprinted in JIVA.
The source of information of Vandana Siva
to be the Website of Roslin Institute has no proof. But the similarities
in her statements to those in the "Indian Communications" are indicative
of the source. (click here)
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Vechur Conservation Trust. All rights reserved.