Gm Corn Genes Found in Mexican Crops

Bioengineered genes are showing up in some noncommercial varieties of corn grown in the Mexican countryside, says a report released last week by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. CEC, formed in conjunction with the North American Free Trade Agreement, says the bioengineered genes probably entered the local crops when subsistence farmers experimentally planted imported U.S. corn shipped to their communities for food. The commission's concern is the impact genetically engineered corn could have on local strains of corn. The report calls for more research and suggests that Mexico mill at its border any corn it imports from countries that grow transgenic corn commercially. The Bush Administration responds that the report's key recommendations "are not based on sound science," failed to include economic analyses, and says many of the recommendations "are based solely on socio-cultural considerations." The Administration adds that the recommendations would do nothing to protect biodiversity and would hurt North American farmers and consumers. The CEC report is available at http://www.cec.org.