Mexican Congress to Fox: "Ban GM corn"

- - TheNewsMexico.com - December 6, 2001
http://www.agrobiomexico.org/noticias/notas/diciembre.htm

The Mexican Congress unanimously demanded this week that President
Vicente Fox ban the importation of genetically modified (GM) corn, and
claimed the new corn could affect the genetic integrity of Mexico's
crops and threaten the country's food supply.

GM corn has been a hot issue in Mexico since genes from U.S. GM corn
were found in wild corn in the southern state of Oaxaca several months
ago. The environmental organization Greenpeace has also claimed the
Agricultural Secretariat, which has publicly supported introducing
modified corn, is trying to open up the country's market to GM crops
before legislation is passed prohibiting it.

The Senate has also demanded access to the results of Agriculture's
Secretariat's study of the affected corn in Oaxaca as well as advances
in the creation of the federal commission for biosecurity. Meanwhile,
the Oaxaca state assembly is scrambling to get agricultural officials to
give out information on the status of corn in their state which "could
have health repercussions for Oaxacans and damage the country's ability
to feed itself," legislators said.