In a massive blow to multinational agribiz corporations such as Monsanto, Bayer, and Dow,
Peru has officially passed a law banning genetically modified ingredients anywhere within the
country for a full decade before coming up for another review. Peru’s Plenary Session of the
Congress made the decision 3 years after the decree was written despite previous governmental
pushes for GM legalization due largely to the pressure from farmers that together form the
Parque de la Papa in Cusco, a farming community of 6,000 people that represent six communities.
They worry the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will compromise the
native species of Peru, such as the giant white corn, purple corn and, of course, the famous species
of Peruvian potatoes. Anibal Huerta, President of Peru’s Agrarian Commission, said the ban was needed
to prevent the ”danger that can arise from the use of biotechnology.”
While the ban will curb the planting and importation of
GMOs in the country, a test conducted by the Peruvian Association of Consumers and Users (ASPEC)
at the time of the ban’s implementation found that 77 percent of supermarket products tested contained
GM contaminants. ”Research by ASPEC confirms something that Peruvians knew all along: GM foods
are on the shelves of our markets and wineries, and consumers buy them and take them into their homes
to eat without knowing it. Nobody tells us, no one says anything, which involves a clear violation of our
right to information,” Cáceres told Gestión. GMOs are so prevalent in the Americas that it is
virtually impossible to truly and completely block them, whether through pollination or being sneaked
in as processed foods.
“There is an increasing consensus among consumers that they want safe, local, organic fresh food
and that they want the environment and wildlife to be protected,” wrote Walter Pengue from the University
of Buenos Aires in Argentina, in a recent statement concerning GMOs in South America. “South
American countries must proceed with a broader evaluation of their original agricultural policies
and practices using the precautionary principle.”
Note: This decree was signed into effect on April 15th 2011
Sources:
Translated Spanish Press Released
ASPEC Study
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