10th November 2004
REPORT ON GM MAIZE IN MEXICO MEETS CONTROVERSY
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On 8 October, the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) released a report entitled “Maize and Biodiversity: The Effects of Transgenic Maize in Mexico”. The report suggests that genetically modified maize imports into Mexico should be restricted so as to preserve genetic diversity given the “significant cultural, symbolic and spiritual value” maize has for most Mexicans. While the report notes that there is “no reason to expect” that a genetically modified organism (GMO) would have a greater or lesser effect upon the genetic diversity of Mexican maize, it suggests that given the fact that Mexico is a centre of origin for maize and that campesinos (smallholder producers in Mexico that make up over two-thirds of the maize producers in the country) “consider the presence of any transgenes in maize as an unacceptable risk to their traditional farming practices, and their cultural, symbolic, and spiritual value of maize,” a number of efforts should be made to restrict the spread of GMOs through Mexico. The US Trade Representative condemned the report, calling it “fundamentally flawed and unscientific” and saying that “no economic analysis of their recommendations was conducted, and that many of these recommendations are based solely on socio-cultural considerations” while “failing to consider the potential benefits of biotechnology”. The report is the result of a 2002 petition from indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico that asked the CEC to prepare a report on the potential direct and indirect environmental impacts on biodiversity caused by the release of genetically engineered maize in Mexico.
The CEC is an independent body established by Canada, Mexico and the US under the 1994 North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), a side agreement under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The NAAEC seeks to foster conservation, protection and enhancement of the North American environment in the context of increasing trade and social links among the countries under NAFTA.
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