BBC News
Sunday, 9 June, 2002, 13:09 GMT 14:09 UK
GM contamination spreads in Mexico
Scientists fear crop varieties will be dramatically reduced
By Nick Miles
BBC correspondent in Mexico
Political leaders and academics begin a three day meeting in Rome on Monday
to discuss issues surrounding global food security.
The United Nations World Food Summit will be looking at the spread of
genetically modified crop strains as well as the immediate problem of famine
in parts of southern Africa.
Our best guess is that the Mexican corn harvests have been
contaminated by imported corn from the United States
Juan Martin
Laboratory manager
Recent reports from Mexico suggest that despite a moratorium on planting GM
corn strains, wild varieties have become contaminated by laboratory
developed plants.
The most heavily contaminated area is in Oaxaca, where up to a quarter of
corn samples have tested positive for GM.
GM contamination
The area is home to thousands of small subsistence farmers. High up in the
central mountains of the state one such farmer, Olga Maldonado, is weeding
her tiny plantation of corn. It's just forty metres square and barely
provides enough food for her and her family.
"Corn is our way of life," she told me, as she worked under the harsh
tropical sun. "Most of what we eat like tortillas and thick soups come from
the crop."
Research has yet to prove GM foods are harmful
But six months ago Olga got a shock. Tests showed that her field had been
contaminated with genetically modified corn. Now she says she's worried
about the possible effects on the heath of her children.
"I'm concerned because our children eat corn all the time. We don't know
whether it's safe to eat or not. The government has told us nothing about
these GM plants. Absolutely nothing."
Just 16 kilometres away down a dirt track in the incongruous setting of
rural Mexico, white coated workers at a hi-tech laboratory are testing
samples of corn from across the country. The hum of electrical stirrers
fills the air as the corn goes though the rigorous testing procedures.
This privately funded work has found widespread GM contamination in corn
samples from across Mexico.
"Despite the moratorium on GM crop growing four years ago, many GM strains
have slipped through the net," says Juan Martin, who's in charge at the lab.
We've had a number of different campaigns aimed at telling farmers not
to use imported corn as seed
Victor Arambula, Mexican agriculture spokesman
"Our best guess is that the Mexican corn harvests have been contaminated by
imported corn from the United States," he says.
"That corn was supposed to be for human consumption but farmers weren't
aware of that and they sowed it in their fields."
Genie released
It's difficult to assess the Mexican Government's stance on the issue. State
and federal governments seem to contradict each other on the significance
and even the very existence of GM contamination.
Halberg fears food security will be affected
"If there is GM contamination then it's not because of any government
failure," says Victor Arambula, spokesman for the Mexican agriculture
ministry.
"We've had a number of different campaigns aimed at telling farmers not to
use imported corn as seed.
"Over the last four years, we've made it perfectly clear to farmers that
this contamination might happen."
However it happened, the GM genie is now out of the bottle. And many people
are worried.
Whilst there is no universally accepted research proving any health risks
from eating GM crops, environmentalists say that many GM strains encourage
pests to become tolerant to insecticides.
"There will also be a drastic reduction in the variety of corn strains in
Mexico," Boone Hallberg told me. Mr Hallberg, a sprightly 79-year-old US
educated botanist, has been working with Mexican corn growers for almost
four decades.
Maldonado's field has been contaminated
"Until now, when there's been a virus in other parts of the world, people
have been able to come here to find strains resistant to the virus," he
tells me as we walk through his organic corn fields.
"GM contamination will change all that. The thousands of varieties here will
be lost forever, threatening food security around the world."
Meanwhile for small farmers like Olga the concerns are more immediate. Every
mealtime is now a worrying time for her. She has to feed her children corn
tortillas made from her now genetically modified crops by a farmer who
unwittingly tainted her own land.
"I feel misled by the government," she says as she ladles some steaming corn
drink into a bowl. "As usual in Mexico the needs of the farmers here have
been overlooked".
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