Ontario Grain Farmer June/July 2021

Cover story 6 MEXICO’S GRAIN SECTOR is rallying to fight an increasingly strident movement there against genetically modified (GM) corn as well as glyphosate. Opposition to technology has turned the country into a battleground involving activists, the government, farmers, and industry. This fight has been simmering for ages, driven mainly by Greenpeace which has a strong activist-driven pro-environment presence. As far back as 20 years ago, the organization staged a huge protest at the Port of Veracruz where GM corn was entering the country, to feed livestock. But Greenpeace never realized success like it did on December 31, 2020, when the increasingly unpredictable Mexican government issued an official decree announcing that in 2024, GM corn could no longer be planted there. As well, the decree said Mexico would phase out GM corn imports in three years, and instructed federal departments to abstain from“purchasing, using, distributing, promoting, and importing glyphosate or agrochemicals that contain it as an active ingredient.” FOOD SECURITY The decision is meant to contribute to Mexican food security and sovereignty and “protect native corn, cornfields, bio-cultural wealth, farming communities, gastronomic heritage, and the health of Mexicans,” according to the decree. It goes on to suggest what it calls “culturally appropriate” alternatives, including organic production and low- toxicity agrochemicals. Such measures seem draconian to Canada and the U.S. After all, Mexico just signed the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, which is supposed to open doors, not close them. Its agricultural exports, especially winter fruit and vegetables, are growing significantly. And on a global scale, Mexico is the headquarters of the International Wheat and Maize Improvement Center (CIMMYT), perhaps the most progressive grain institute in the world. But activists’ success here underlines how they can erode public trust in nefarious ways — in this case, by using confounding factors such as health to scare vulnerable populations. They have convinced worried Mexicans that nasty DNA is “leaking” from GM corn and contaminating heritage varieties. They have also succeeded in convincing them they are being poisoned by glyphosate and that resistance to it is harming the agricultural landscape. Now, the country’s grain trade, led by the fledgling Latin America Cereals Institute, is pushing back, starting with a social media campaign to dispel myths about GM crops and try to win back public trust. “An increasing amount of information and theories without scientific support is bombarding our audiences, creating confusion,” says the institute’s executive director Luis Hernando Cervera. “The solutions to our health problems go well beyond banning GM corn, which is mainly used to feed livestock. Mexicans do not exercise enough and so much of what we eat is fried. GM corn is not a health problem.” HEALTH CRISIS Mexico is indeed experiencing a health crisis. But it began years before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. Its 128 million citizens are among the most obese in the world (along with the U.S., Canada, and a handful of Middle East countries). A report by French researcher Mathieu Levaillant in the medical journal The Lancet says 65 per cent of the population is overweight, and 30 per cent of the population is obese. Diabetes climbed to more than 10 per cent of the population in 2016, up from seven per cent a decade earlier. Among the problems’ causes are poor food choices by Mexicans who are overrun with cheap and convenient junk food and soft drinks, mostly manufactured by U.S. companies. Clean water can be scarce in Mexico, too, making bottled soft drinks often cheaper than water. Beleaguered and desperate health-care authorities trying to deal with the crisis are Regaining public trust MEXICO’S GRAIN SECTOR RALLIES AGAINST MISINFORMATION Owen Roberts continued on page 8 • The Mexican government has issued an official decree that in 2024, GM corn will no longer be planted there. • “Culturally appropriate” alternatives, including organic production and low toxicity agrochemicals, are being recommended. • GM corn is mainly used to feed livestock. • The Latin America Cereals Institute was formed in 2016 with a mandate to provide reliable and accurate technical and scientific information. • The institute has developed a campaign to share information about the health advantages of grains and fibre and how they can help address some of Mexico’s medical ills. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW