Mexico: transgenic corn and glyphosate now banned, strong symbols

A small Mexican farmer sprays herbicide on his corn field outside the town of Walamo in Sinaloa state (illustrative image).

Getty Images - Matt Mawson

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2 min

In Mexico, the government has decided to ban transgenic corn and glyphosate, a pioneering measure in Latin America.

The decree signed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador invokes the defense of Mexican corn, biodiversity and food sovereignty.

This ban had been demanded for several years by environmental organizations and indigenous peasant communities.

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With our correspondent in Mexico,

Emmanuelle Steels

More than a victory for environmentalists, the ban on transgenic corn is also a cultural and social issue in Mexico, the land of origin of corn, revered as a sacred plant by the Aztecs and the Mayans.

Here, some sixty varieties have been saved.

Victor Chimal Ortiz is the spokesperson for the “Sin maíz no hay país”, “Without corn, no country” campaign, which brings together civil society organizations and academics.

According to him, the decree which fixes the final elimination of transgenic maize in Mexico in 2024 is the culmination of a long struggle to defend the original maize, but also for the rights of the indigenous communities who cultivate it.

Even though genetically modified corn was not grown in Mexico,

the country imports

a large amount of it for food, as Victor Chimal Ortiz explains:

" 

Both glyphosate and transgenic maize, which are also associated, are present in the diet of Mexicans, the goal is to gradually withdraw transgenic maize from the production of industrial foods

 "

But representatives of the agri-food industry have protested against the progressive ban on glyphosate, which they consider essential to the survival of the sector. 

The text, which entered into force at the start of the year, sets a three-year deadline to phase out the use of the controversial herbicide and to end imports of genetically modified corn.

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  • Mexico

  • Environment

  • Agriculture and Fishing

  • Biodiversity

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