MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) – Mexico’s main agricultural lobby on Saturday criticized the government’s decision to ban genetically modified corn, while organic farmers hailed the move to protect small farmers.
Mexico will “revoke and refrain from granting licenses for the release of genetically modified maize seeds into the environment,” declared a decree issued on Thursday night, which also determined the phasing out of imports of transgenic maize until 2024 .
Proponents of transgenic corn say that banning domestic farming would limit the options of Mexican farmers, while phasing out its importation could put the food chain at risk.
“The lack of access to production options puts us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors, such as corn producers in the United States,” said Laura Tamayo, spokeswoman for the National Council of Farms in Mexico.
“On the other hand, importing genetically modified grains from the U.S. is essential for many products in the agrifood chain,” added Tamayo, also a regional corporate director at Bayer, whose Monsanto agrochemicals unit manufactures Roundup herbicide and GMO corn intended to survive the application of the pesticide.
Opponents of genetically modified crops celebrated the ban.
“It’s a huge victory,” said Homero Blas, head of the Society of Organic Producers in Mexico.
Opponents of GM crops say they contaminate native varieties of old maize and encourage the use of dangerous pesticides that endanger public health and harm biodiversity.
Mexico is largely self-sufficient in white maize used to make the country’s basic tortillas, but depends on imports of GMO yellow maize from the United States to feed livestock.
It is not clear whether the decree will phase out transgenic maize imported for livestock or whether the rules will apply only to maize grown for human consumption.
The rules determine the progressive elimination until 2024 of the use of the herbicide glyphosate, used in Roundup, the same year in which Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador leaves.
Bayer agreed to pay up to $ 10.9 billion to settle about 100,000 American lawsuits here, claiming that Roundup caused cancer.
Reporting by Laura Gottesdiener; Editing by David Gregorio