Mexico considers adding GMO corn ban to the constitution

On February 5, Constitution Day in Mexico, the Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) decided to present 20 constitutional reform proposals, less than nine months before finishing his administration.

They say that all the social proposals – such as retirement pensions, salaries, scholarships and so on – will not have any problems in passing. The opposition will not pose any arguments against those. But problems might rise with others.

One of the proposals is the ongoing battle on transgenic corn and human consumption and the fuzzy ties with animal feeding that this government has undertaken. Nonetheless, one of the surprising things is that the general media did not even mention this very important matter, something that affects daily life. They do mention animal welfare or fracking, for instance.

This transgenic corn “soap opera” has been going for several years. It was supposed to end this past January, but the timetable has moved it to November of this year, exactly when AMLO will be president no more.

The proposal sent by the president mentions many important aspects, such as toxicity of fertilizers (like glyphosate), scientific research “independent from multinationals,” biological diversity and others, as well as recognizing corn as a basic staple and an element of national identity, free of genetic modifications.

The use of transgenic corn in animal feeds and its imports remains unclear. Hopefully, this proposal will not pass, or the new upcoming government will change their ideas.

Tags: corn, Mexico, proposals, transgenic corn