MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) – Mexico’s main agricultural portal on Saturday criticized the government’s decision to ban genetically modified maize, while organic producers welcomed the action to protect smaller farmers.
Mexico will “withdraw and withhold the permit for the release of genetically modified maize seeds in the area”, reads an order issued on Thursday evening, which also ordered the phasing out of GMO wheat imports by 2024.
Proponents of GMO maize say the ban on domestic cultivation will limit Mexican farmers’ options, while importing imports could break down.
“The lack of access to production options puts us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors, such as wheat farmers in the United States,” said Laura Tamayo, spokeswoman for the National Farm Council in Mexico.
“On the other hand, the import of genetically modified grain from the US is essential for many products in the agro-food chain,” added Tamayo, also a local corporate director for Bayer, whose agrochemical unit Monsanto the Roundup and the GMO wheat designed to survive the application of the pesticide.
Opponents of genetically modified crops celebrated the ban.
“This is a huge victory,” said Homero Blas, head of Mexico’s Organic Producers Association.
Opponents of GMO crops say they pollute centuries-old indigenous maize species 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 mostly GMO yellow maize from the United States for animal feed.
It was unclear whether the decision would phase out imported GMO wheat for livestock, and whether the rules only apply to wheat grown for human consumption.
According to the rules, the use of the herbicide glyphosate used in Roundup must be phased out by 2024, the same year that Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador leaves office.
Bayer has agreed to pay as much as $ 10.9 billion to settle nearly 100,000 U.S. lawsuits here, claiming that Roundup causes cancer.
Reporting by Laura Worshiper; Edited by David Gregorio