Reuters writer David Alire Garcia reported on Tuesday that, “A ban on planting genetically modified corn in Mexico is likely to continue for years as a slow-moving legal battle grinds on, said a top executive of U.S.-based seed and agrochemical company Monsanto Co.
“Last week, a Mexican court upheld a late 2013 ruling that temporarily halted even pilot plots of GMO corn following a legal challenge over its effects on the environment.
“‘It’s going to take a long while for all the evidence to be presented,’ Monsanto regional corporate director Laura Tamayo said in an interview. ‘I think we’re talking years.'”
The article noted that, “While Mexico is self-sufficient in white corn used to make the country’s staple tortillas, it depends on imports of mostly GMO yellow corn from the United States for its livestock.”
In a gesture that is worrisome for U.S. farmers, who are already on edge about potential trade disruptions to Mexico, the article indicated that, “Prominent Mexican politicians, including former President Felipe Calderon, say the nation should consider ending purchases from U.S. corn producers in favor of Brazil and Argentina if Trump applies new taxes on Mexican exports to its northern neighbor.”
The Reuters article added that, “Monsanto’s main business in Mexico is developing and selling conventional corn seeds and vegetable seeds, but Tamayo says the company is determined to defend the benefits of genetically modified crops on scientific grounds.”
