Mexico vs Monsanto
In a battle for the bees, is it Mexico vs Monsanto?
On the Yucatán peninsula, honey production and collection are the main industries. Mayan beekeepers are pleased that a recent ruling suspended a permit granted to Monsanto to farm GMO soybeans there. In addition, soybeans were banned from the state of Campeche.
“The decision suspends a permit granted to the agrichemical firm Monsanto to farm genetically modified soybeans on over 250,000 hectares in the region and instructs a federal agency it must first consult with indigenous communities before granting any future permits for transgenic soy farming,” the report said.
Environmental organizations such as Greenpeace, Indignación and Litiga OLE reportedly said that farming GMO soybeans in the region would put honey production and approximately 15,000 Maya farm families at risk due to the use of the herbicide glyphosate (which has been linked to cancer). It was also claimed that soy production would lead to deforestation in Campeche.
Mexico Takes on Monsanto. Original Photo: http://ecowatch.com/2015/11/09/monsanto-mexican-court-gmos/
Not surprisingly, controversial Monsanto denies its soy has impacted bees and does not accept accusations that make them responsible for deforestation and illegal logging.
“…our work is rigidly attached to the guidelines provided by law,” the company said in a statement.
GMO corn has yet to be sown in any part of Mexico and a recent ruling upheld this finding.
Sustainable Pulse reported that federal judge Benjamin Soto Sánchez, head of the second Unitarian Court in Civil and Administrative Matters of the First Circuit, “upheld a provisional suspension prohibiting pertinent federal agencies from processing and granting the privilege of sowing or releasing into the environment of transgenic maize in the country.”
This decision came despite 100 challenges by transnational agribusiness interests and the federal government, according to Sustainable Pulse.
To read this article in its entirety, visit: http://ecowatch.com/2015/11/09/monsanto-mexican-court-gmos/
