Mexico Issues Constitutional Decree Banning GM Corn
Mexico has amended its Constitution to ban the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) corn, aiming to protect native varieties and uphold biodiversity. The reform, effective March 18, 2025, designates native corn as an element of national identity and prohibits GM corn planting. This move follows a December 2024 trade panel ruling that Mexico’s prior GM corn import restrictions violated the USMCA. While imports continue, domestic cultivation of GM corn is now constitutionally prohibited.
Mexico has officially issued a decree prohibiting the country’s use of genetically modified (GM) corn. The government published the decree on March 17, 2025 in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF), formalizing the reforms to Articles 4 and 27 of the Constitution regarding the conservation and protection of native corn. It took effect on March 18, 2025.
The publication of the decree came hours after it was signed by Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, who reiterated that the promulgation of this reform seeks to guarantee biodiversity, food sovereignty, and the health of Mexicans.
The amendment to Article 4 specifies that corn cultivation in Mexico must remain free from genetic modifications produced by techniques beyond the natural barriers of reproduction or recombination, such as transgenic methods. Any use of GM corn must undergo legal scrutiny to ensure it poses no threat to biosafety, public health, or the country’s biocultural heritage. Article 27 further outlines that the State will work to create conditions that promote rural, cultural, economic, and health development for the law to be properly enforced. The government will also support agricultural and forestry initiatives, particularly those focused on traditional crops using native seeds, like the milpa system, to ensure the optimal use of land while avoiding the cultivation of genetically modified corn.
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Source : ISAAA.Org
