Mexico has banned the domestic cultivation of genetically modified (GM) corn and will also phase out GM corn imports by 2024.
A government decree declared that the country would “revoke and refrain from granting licenses for the release of genetically modified corn seeds into the environment ”, reported The Wire Science on January 3rd.
Critics said the ban would limit options for Mexican farmers.
“The lack of access to production options puts us at a disadvantage relative to our competitors, such as corn producers in the United States,” said Laura Tamayo, spokeswoman for Mexico’s National Farm Council, adding that banning corn imports GMO corn would also put the food chain at risk.
“The import of GMO grains from the U.S. is essential for many products in the agri-food chain,” said Tamayo, who is also regional corporate director for German agricultural sciences company Bayer, which produces the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup and GMO corn seeds designed to survive its application.
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Roundup is the subject of about 100,000 cancer lawsuits in the U.S. and the new Mexican ruling would phase out its use by 2024, the agency said. The Wire Science .
Mexico was largely self-sufficient in the white corn used to make the country's staple tortillas, but depended on imports of GMO yellow corn from the US for livestock feed.
The Wire Science said it is unclear whether the new decree applies to GM corn imported for livestock farming or just corn grown for human consumption.
This text was automatically translated from English.
Source: Oils & Fats International (OFI)
