Mexico bans domestic cultivation of GM corn

Introduced on 17 March, the decision by Mexico’s lower house of Congress defines GM corn as “produced with techniques that overcome the natural barriers of reproduction or recombination, such as transgenics”, the USDA’s 21 March Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) report said.

In addition, the ruling requires “any other use” of such corn to be evaluated “to be free of threats to the biosafety, health and biocultural heritage of Mexico and its population”.

While a de facto ban on GE corn planting had been in place since 2013 due to a court ruling, and effective prohibitions had existed since 1998, the amendment codified these restrictions by amending Articles 4 and 27 of the constitution, the report said.

However, the broad application of the term “use” within the amendment did not specify if the restrictions applied beyond cultivation, to include GM corn grain imported for food, feed or processing uses, the USDA said.

Published on 17 March, the ruling stated its aim was to preserve native corn varieties, protect biodiversity and ensure food sovereignty.

Tags: Mexico, genetically modified corn, cultivation, GM corn, banned