Costa Rica Environmental groups announced today that they will continue with its actions against the planting of transgenic corn, a day after the National Biosafety Commission approved two hectares cultivating the international firm Monsanto.
“We will try above all to maintain the environmental struggle, seek legal means to defend themselves GM-free territories,” said Fabian Pacheco, Green Bloc activist.
The Commission approved the company D & PL Seeds Ltd earlier this week, a subsidiary of international Monsanto, planting two hectares of GM maize in the Abangares, in the northwestern province of Guanacaste (Pacific), after several months of study the case.
The culture is for research and not for human consumption or marketing.
Pacheco said the municipality recently pleaded Abangares free of GM crops and that the Commission acted “arrogantly” to “override the will of a local government.”
The environmentalist criticized the National Biosafety Commission “ignored”, “minimized” and “not even contemplated” the environmental, social and economic groups said about the various transgenic maize.
Risks that environmentalists have pointed sectors on transgenic corn highlights the possible destruction and replacement of land, and the lack of studies on the effects of these crops on human health, the environment or the socio-economic.
Environmental groups said they exhausted legal avenues to prevent the planting of genetically modified and organized demonstrations in the coming days.
In Costa Rica there is an initiative of universities, environmentalists and farmers for the Ministry of Culture declared the corn as Costa Rica’s cultural heritage, which would prevent the arrival of GM corn.
According to the green block, communities have declared GMO-free account for 20% of the territory of Costa Rica, most of them in the province of Guanacaste.
Data from the National Biosafety Commission indicate that in Costa Rica there were small planting of transgenic corn less than two hectares in 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2000.
For 2011, latest official data available, Costa Rica recorded 394.3 hectares of transgenic cotton, soy 44.6, 3.2, pineapple and banana, all for research or seed export and not for human consumption.
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose Costa Rica
