MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) – Mexico’s main agricultural lobby on Saturday criticized the government’s decision to ban genetically modified corn, while organic growers hailed the move that should protect smaller farmers.
Mexico will “revoke and renounce permits for the release of genetically modified corn seeds into the environment,” said a decree issued Thursday evening that also mandated the phasing out of GM corn imports by 2024.
Proponents of GMO corn say the ban on domestic cultivation would limit Mexican farmers’ options, while phasing out imports could endanger the food chain.
“The lack of access to production capabilities puts us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors, such as corn farmers in the United States,” said Laura Tamayo, spokeswoman for the National Farm Council in Mexico.
“On the other hand, imports of GM grain from the US are essential to many products in the agri-food chain,” added Tamayo, also regional director of Bayer, whose agrochemical unit makes Monsanto herbicide Roundup and the GMO corn designed to survive application of the pesticide.
Opponents of GM crops celebrated the ban.
“It’s a huge win,” said Homero Blas, head of Mexico’s Organic Producers’ Society.
Opponents of GMO crops say they contaminate ancient native corn varieties and encourage the use of dangerous pesticides that endanger public health and harm biodiversity.
Mexico is largely self-sufficient in white corn used to make the country’s main tortillas, but relies on imports of mostly GMO yellow corn from the United States for livestock feed.
It was unclear whether the decision will phase out imported GM maize for livestock, or whether the rules will only apply to maize grown for human consumption.
The rules mandate a phasing out by 2024 of the use of the herbicide glyphosate, which is used in Roundup, the same year that Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador leaves office.
Bayer agreed to pay a whopping $ 10.9 billion to settle nearly 100,000 US lawsuits here claiming Roundup caused cancer.
Reporting by Laura Gottesdiener; Editing by David Gregorio