Tue, 09 Nov 2004

Study: Engineered corn poses no immediate threat to Mexico

I think these folks should read the study before they write the headline:

However, an estimated 30 percent of the corn that Mexico imports from the United States may be genetically modified, Snow said. The United States does not separate GM corn from non-GM corn, making it impossible for Mexican farmers to know if the grain they receive is genetically engineered or not.

So they have no clue how much, if any, GM corn is out there. That's a secure base for the "no immediate threat" assessment! But it gets better:

"Reliable unpublished data suggest that it is extremely likely that some GM corn is already growing in Mexico, whether it was intentional or not," said Snow, who is also an expert on plant-to-plant transmission of GM genes.

"What no one knows, however, is how common this has become," she continued. "Though GM seeds imported as grain from the United States would probably result in poor yields, farmers may try to plant these seeds in times of need, and the seeds could also be considered a new source of genetic variation for plant breeding practices."

So they do know that the farmers undoubtably already have GM corn, and they're probably going to plant it, and while they're going to get lower yields, the GM seeds will contribute to the native (and natural) gene pool for maize.

But there's no immediate threat.

What have these folks been smoking? Besides corn silks ...

Genetically modified corn won't threaten native corn species in Mexico, according to a new report issued by the North American Free Trade Association. In a country whose culture and identity revolve heavily around corn, or maize -- the crop was first developed here thousands of years ago -- the thought of imported GM varieties contaminating indigenous plants frightens many citizens, said Allison Snow, a co-author of the report and a professor of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University.

(link) [Science Blog]

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