Environmental campaigners have welcomed the Mexican ban on growing genetically modified corn. The Mexican government will also forbid the use of the controversial Monsanto weedkiller Roundup.
Imports of genetically modified corn will also be gradually forbidden over the next three years, along with the use of glyphosate, an herbicide the World Health Organization says could cause cancer.
Glyphosate is the main ingredient in the Roundup weedkiller made by Monsanto, owned by German chemical giant Bayer. Monsanto also makes seeds that are genetically modified to tolerate the weedkiller.
Last June, Bayer said it had agreed to pay more than $10 billion to end a wave of lawsuits from Americans who said they got cancer from using Roundup.
Greenpeace says that genetically engineered crops promote a chemical-intensive model of farming harmful to people and the environment.
They said that genetically modified corn and glyphosate “have serious repercussions for farmers and indigenous peoples in Mexico.”
