The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, celebrated this Sunday through the initiative sent to the Chamber of Deputies to prohibit the planting of transgenic corn in the nation, and thus be able to protect the native species of this food.
Through a video published on social networks, the president reported from Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, that said initiative had already been sent to the Congress of the Union, and that it seeks to reform article 4 and article 27 of the Political Constitution of Mexico.
“Today, here in Puerto Escondido, I want to inform you that the constitutional reform for the protection of our corn has already been sent to the Congress of the Union. It is a reform for article 4 and article 27 of the Constitution, which establish corn as a national identity, and, at the same time, the prohibition of the planting of transgenic corn in our country and to ensure that it is done through agroecological techniques, that is, free of transgenics” explained Sheinbaum, while holding a couple of ears of corn in her hands.
Under the slogan “Without Corn there is no Country,” Sheinbaum pointed out that the 59 races of corn that have been found are a fundamental element of the country, its history and its identity; she emphasized that corn, as we know it, was “created” in Mesoamerica, with the domestication of wild plants, such as teosinte, which makes its genetics also part of our culture. She assured that this reform seeks to protect its biodiversity.
This initiative was sent by the Executive leader despite the recent ruling against it in the dispute under the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada (T-MEC), which concluded that the measures implemented by Mexico to prohibit the importation of genetically modified corn in 2023, even in the administration of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, do not comply with the international and scientific standards required by the treaty.
These measures prohibited the use of transgenic corn for human consumption and establish its gradual replacement; The USMCA group of experts pointed out that these are not based on adequate risk assessments or scientific evidence, which constituted a violation of the principles of the international treaty.
According to the rules of the treaty, Mexico had a period of 45 days, starting on December 20, to comply with the ruling and adapt its measures in accordance with the panel’s conclusions. However, this resolution only issues a criterion on the decree published in 2023, but does not limit Mexico to reform its Constitution.
According to research, transgenic corn is tolerant to pests and generates toxins, crystals, that remain even in the grain that is consumed. Transgenic corn crops are fully associated with the use of herbicides such as glyphosate, which exposes human health and the preservation of the environment to serious risks.
Source: infobae
