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Tribunal rules against Mexico for banning genetically modified corn: 'We are disappointed in the panel's ruling today'

"The tribunal's ruling will not undo the fact that Mexico's precautionary policies are indeed justified by a wealth of scientific evidence."

"The tribunal’s ruling will not undo the fact that Mexico’s precautionary policies are indeed justified by a wealth of scientific evidence."

Photo Credit: iStock

Mexico is facing the consequences after making a decision it believed protected its citizens and environment.

An article published by the New Lede, as written by Douglas Main, dissects the decision made by an international tribunal that Mexico violated terms of an international trade agreement with the United States and Canada when it banned the import of genetically modified (GM) corn for human consumption.

"Mexico has legitimate concerns about the safety and innocuousness of genetically modified corn … and its indissoluble relationship with its technological package that includes glyphosate," the Mexican government's report states. "There is clear scientific evidence of the harmful effects of direct consumption of GM corn grain." 

The verdict has been criticized, with the argument that Mexico was well within its rights — especially after submitting an 189-page document to the tribunal outlining the risks of GM corn. 

Chuck Benbrook, a long-time consultant who worked with Friends of the Earth in defending the Mexican position, was quoted by the New Lede, saying, "The US government never did [an] appropriate risk assessment of GM corn, period. It's irresponsible." 

Timothy Wise, a senior research fellow at Tufts University's Global Development and Environment Institute, wrote in a statement, as cited by Main, "The tribunal's ruling will not undo the fact that Mexico's precautionary policies are indeed justified by a wealth of scientific evidence … It will further tarnish the legitimacy of an agreement already seen as favoring multinational corporations over public health and the environment."

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"We are disappointed in the panel's ruling today, which shows the U.S. successfully wielded its power on behalf of the world's largest agrochemical corporations to force their industrial technology onto Mexico," said Angela Huffman, president of the ag NGO Farm Action, as reported by Main.

According to the Center for Food Safety, the primary chemical associated with GM corn in Mexico is glyphosate — a chemical used in herbicides to kill weeds and grasses. It comes as no surprise that the only groups to defend the U.S. position were from the biotechnology innovation sector, including Bayer AG, which bought Monsanto in 2018 — the world's leading producer of glyphosate, better known as Roundup

Despite the company's millions of dollars in settlements and the studies that have found glyphosate exposure increases cancer risk by 40%, the EPA has yet to take action, even though it's banned or restricted in several other countries around the world for its carcinogenic properties.

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Although it still plans to ban the use of glyphosate, the Mexican government said in a statement it would comply despite its strong disagreement with the ruling.

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