After an 11-year moratorium on GMOs, Mexico had approved a small project with Monsanto and two other companies, but isn’t ready to go further into a full pilot program.
“Corn is a staple food crop in Mexico, intricately intertwined with the country’s cuisine, history, and culture,” notes Beth Buczynski at Care2. “Authorities are concerned that Monsanto’s genetically modified corn will contaminate native species, and could cause both health and environmental issues.”
Small-scale contamination has already happened via black market brokers who import and sell the GMO seeds.
“We have a nationwide survey that shows genetic contamination in Guanajuato, Yucatan, Veracruz and Oaxaca (states). We also know of some large-scale plantings in Chihuahua,” Elena Alvarez-Buylla Roces, a molecular geneticist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, told McClatchy news. “There is no possibility of coexistence without contamination,” Alvarez-Buylla said. “One gene can make a large difference. Do we want to run the risk?”
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http://redgreenandblue.org/2011/02/07/mexico-stands-up-to-monsanto-says-no-to-gmo-corn/