A request to freeze a government plan to ban imports of GMO corn and glyphosate by 2024 was rejected by Mexican Judge Martin Adolfo Santos Perez, marking the latest of what Mexico's National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) said have been 17 legal challenges of the order issued by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
The latest action was brought by the National Farm Council (CNA). The group argued that it is concerned "radical and unscientific interpretations" of the planned bans will stoke uncertainty. CONACYT has been directed to come up with an alternative to glyphosate.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has said he has continued to discuss the issue with his Mexican counterpart and has indicated that the ban on GMO corn could apply only to corn used for food as opposed to feed, but the issue is not clear at this juncture.