Mexico Temporarily Bans GMO Corn

In a groundbreaking turn of events, Mexican authorities placed a ban on genetically-modified corn within their borders.

Giant biotech companies like Monsanto will no longer be able to sell or plant their corn in Mexico.

This follows on the heels of of Peru’s decision to ban GMO corn last year, and for many of the same reasons.

Mexico eats, sleeps, and breathes corn. With more than 20,000 native varieties of the plant and historically recognized as the “birthplace of corn,” the country is obviously motivated to protect its cultural heritage and biodiversity — both of which are at risk due to cross-contamination from genetically-modified crops.

The action came as the result of a series of lawsuits filed against the Mexican federal government and biotech companies by community based organizations concerned about the contamination of their crops with unwanted transgenic corn.

The unprecedented ban was granted by the Twelfth Federal District Court for Civil Matters of Mexico City. Judge Jaime Eduardo Verdugo J. wrote the opinion and cited “the risk of imminent harm to the environment” as the basis for the decision. The judge’s ruling also ruled that multinationals like Monsanto and Pioneer are banned from the release of transgenic maize in the Mexican countryside” as long as collective action lawsuits initiated by citizens, farmers, scientists, and civil society organizations are working their way through the judicial system.
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This marks a major victory for Mexican farmers and activists.

The ruling came with teeth — serious enforcement provisions which allow for the possibility of “criminal charges for the authorities responsible for allowing the introduction of transgenic corn in our country.” (source)

According to the press release, the goal of the collective lawsuits is to force an “absolute federal declaration of the suspension of the introduction of transgenic maize in all its various forms.” (source)

The lawsuits themselves are supported with an incredible amount of evidence documenting the contamination of Mexico’s native corn varieties with unwanted genetically-modified genes. The campaign collecting the bulk of this evidence is Sin Maiz No Hay Pais (Without Corn, There is No Country).

Want to know more about GMOs?

Begin by reading Seeds of Deception by Jeffrey Smith.

This meticulously documented exposé reveals what the biotech industry doesn’t want you to know — how industry manipulation and political collusion, not sound science, allow dangerous genetically engineered food into your daily diet. Company research is rigged, alarming evidence of health dangers is covered up, and intense political pressure applied.

You’ll read the actual internal memos by FDA scientists warning of toxins, allergies, and new diseases—all ignored by their superiors, including a former attorney for Monsanto. You’ll learn why the FDA withheld information from Congress after a genetically modified supplement killed nearly a hundred people and disabled thousands.

Click here to snag a copy of the book, or to read more reviews.

(photo credit: chiotsrun)