NAFTA Report Recommends Genetically Modified Corn Not Be Imported Into Mexico;  Greenpeace Release of the NAFTA Report Stirs Controversy

(November 11, 2004) On October 19, Greenpeace released a North American Free Trade Zone (NAFTA) report that recommends all U.S. corn be milled on entry to Mexico, and that Mexico keep its moratorium on genetically modified (GM) maize planting to protect biodiversity.

Greenpeace obtained a copy of the report and released it although it had not been officially released by NAFTA, since, according to Greenpeace, the U.S. government had stalled the publication of this report. The report, written by the NAFTA Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), also recommends that all GM maize imports be labeled as such.

The United States has placed considerable weight on the importance of genetically modified crops, because of large U.S. corporations and farmers who have a substantial commitment to genetic modification.  According to Greenpeace, in 2003, the United States exported over 5.5 million tons of corn to Mexico. At least 30 percent of that maize is estimated to be genetically modified. However as little to no maize imported into Mexico is segregated, all 5.5 million tons of imports would likely have to be labeled as GM.  Moreover, the United States has initiated a World Trade Organization case against the European Union for its de facto moratorium on new GM approvals, in place since 1998.

The key issue is the effect of genetically modified corn on the native corn of Mexico, where corn originated and where there are many varieties of corn, due to adaptation to local conditions over centuries. Genetic traits can spread by cross-pollination, modifying local varieties of corn, which can cause loss of genetic resources.

The report draws attention to the huge gaps in knowledge that exist regarding the impacts of GM maize in Mexico. It states that risk assessments carried out in the United States are not adequate to determine potential impacts in Mexico. In the most damaging line of the report, the authors, a distinguished panel of scientific and policy experts and including representatives of the biotechnology industry, unanimously recommend that "all the maize imported to Mexico from Canada and the United States, that is not certified as GM-free, should be sent directly and without exception to mills for processing."

Greenpeace reports that the authors also conclude that: "Until adequate research and evaluations are carried out about the risks and benefits of the effects of genetic flow of transgenic maize on landraces and teocintle, and more information is circulated among campesinos and rural communities, the present-day moratorium should continue to be applied to the commercial cultivation of transgenic maize in Mexico."

A November 10, 2004  Washington Post article on the topic by Marc Kaufman brought further attention to the issue.  The full report entitled Maize and Biodiversity, the Effect of Transgenic Maize in Mexico was not released until November 11, 2004, giving credence to the idea that the controversy brought about the release of the report. The U.S. Department of State has issued a  press release calling the report's findings "flawed."

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