Twenty-five months after the first scientific evidence became public, the  Mexican government and the scientific community have acknowledged that  Mexico's traditional maize crop is contaminated with DNA from genetically  modified (GM) maize despite a government prohibition on the planting of GM  seeds in Mexico.  Mexico is the centre of origin for maize - one of the  world's most important food crops.  Yesterday, peasant farmers and indigenous communities along with civil  society organizations in Mexico publicly released the results of their own  testing that found GM contamination of native maize in at least nine  states - far more serious and widespread than previously assumed. 

(1) For a  detailed report of their findings see:  http://www.etcgroup.org/article.asp?newsid=407 and  http://www.etcgroup.org/article.asp?newsid=408 (The report will soon be available in English.) 

       No fewer than four government-sponsored studies have been undertaken in  Mexico over the past two years to determine whether or not transgenes are  present in native maize (see details below). Although none of the studies  has yet been published, each study found varying levels of contamination in  two or more states. But acknowledgment of gene flow has not come with a  clear plan of action to address contamination and to prevent it from  continuing. Neither is there a plan to protect vital national and  international collections of crop germplasm stored in gene banks in Mexico  and elsewhere.  Given the appalling lack of action and follow-through by the Mexican  government, international plant breeding institutes and the multinational  Gene Giants, the true creators and custodians of maize decided to take  matters into their own hands. At a news conference yesterday in Mexico City,  indigenous and peasant farmer communities in Mexico joined with civil  society organizations, including ETC Group, to announce the results of  genetic testing of maize grown by traditional farmers in 138 communities.  The results show that contamination has spread to farmers' fields in nine  states, including Chihuahua, Morelos, Durango, Estado de Mexico, Puebla,  Oaxaca, San Luis Potosi, Tlaxcala and Veracruz.  Of 2,000 maize plants tested, samples from 33 communities in nine Mexican  states tested positive for contamination. In some cases as many as four GM  traits, all patented by multinational Gene Giants, were found in a single  plant. The organizations were especially alarmed to find traces of the  insecticidal toxin (Cry9c), the engineered trait found in StarLink maize  (formerly sold by Aventis CropScience). StarLink was never approved by the  US government for human consumption because of concerns it could trigger  allergic reactions. Illegal traces of StarLink were found in US food  products in 2000.

         Following a massive recall of tainted food products in the  US, Aventis withdrew StarLink from the market. Apparently, StarLink sought  asylum in Mexico.  Baldemar Mendoza, an indigenous farmer from Oaxaca, said at yesterday's news  conference that people had come to his community to tell them that they  needn't worry about GM contamination because transgenic crops have been  available in some countries for six or seven years and there is no evidence  that GM crops are harmful to health. "But we have our own evidence," asserts  Mendoza. "We have 10,000 years of evidence that our maize is good for our  health. To contaminate it with transgenics is a crime against all indigenous  peoples and farming communities who have safeguarded maize over millennia  for the benefit of humankind."  The coalition of indigenous communities, farmer and civil society  organizations demanded that the Mexican government make public the results  of all studies on GM contamination, stop all imports of transgenic maize,  continue its moratorium on the cultivation of transgenic maize, and scrap  the flawed "biosafety" bill crafted by biotech proponents, which is now  under discussion in Congress. Safe Contamination?  At events leading up to today's news conference, many  Mexican government officials and scientists acknowledged contamination, but  insisted that it wasn't a problem.  On September 7th Mexico's newly-appointed Minister of the Environment,  Alberto Cardenas told the Global Biodiversity Forum in Canczn that there is no doubt that GM contamination in Mexico is real but he insisted there is no harm to native maize biodiversity or to public health. The Minister offered  no specific information on contamination levels, nor did he provide evidence  supporting his claim that public health and the environment had not been  compromised.  At a conference held September 29-30 in Mexico City, academics, and  government officials confirmed -and even Gene Giant corporations accepted-  that there has been a "flow" (contamination) of GM traits into traditional  maize varieties in at least two states.  The conference, titled "Gene Flow:  What Does It Mean for Biodiversity and Centers of Origin," was organized by  the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology (PIFB) and the U.S.-Mexico  Foundation for Science (FUMEC). www.maizegeneflow.org.  At the conference, Klaus Amman, Director of the University of Bern's  Botanical Garden (Switzerland), argued that there are no known environmental  impacts of transgenic gene flow. Amman cited data from Novartis (one of the  Gene Giants - now Syngenta) showing that under field conditions genetically  engineered Bt maize posed minimal risk to Monarch butterflies in the United  States. Jorge Sobersn, the director of Mexico's National Commission on  Biodiversity (CONABIO) pointed out that a comparison between field  conditions in the US and those in mega-diverse Mexico may not be relevant.  He noted that the USA has around 60 butterfly species whereas Mexico has more than 2,000. In the meeting, Sobersn called for a strict application of  the precautionary principle.  A representative of the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Victor  Villalobos, recently described the GM contamination in Oaxaca as "a natural  laboratory" to study the effects of gene flow, and he complacently urged  that the moratorium on the planting of GM maize be lifted. (2)   "It is exasperating that many scientists refused to take action on gene  flow for more than two years, insisting that they required stronger  scientific evidence," said Silvia Ribeiro of ETC Group. "Now those same  scientists admit gene flow but are claiming - in the total absence of  scientific proof - that gene flow poses no threat to biodiversity or to  people. Using Mexico and its people as guinea pigs is good science?"  Studies Concur: According to Ezequiel Ezcurra, the director of Mexico's  National Institute of Ecology of the Secretariat of Environment and Natural  Resources, four government-sponsored studies have been undertaken in the > past two years to determine whether or not transgenes are present in maize in Mexico.  Although none of the studies has yet been published, Ezcurra  stated that each study found varying levels of contamination in two or more  states:  * The National Institute of Ecology, an agency that operates under Mexico's  Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources, conducted an initial study  that was released in September 2001.  * The National Institute of Ecology (INE) and the National Commission for  the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) jointly sponsored a study > that was conducted by scientists at the National Autonomous University of  Mexico (UNAM) and the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the  National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV). The results of this study were  announced in December 2002.  * The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (SAGARPA)  conducted a study that was commissioned by the Intersecretarial Commission  for Biosafety and Genetically Modified Organisms (CIBIOGEM). The results of  this study have not been made public..  * The National Institute for Agriculture and Forestry Research (INIFAP). The  results have not been made public.  The studies corroborate the independent findings of two University of  California (Berkeley) researchers who first reported their conclusions in  Nature in September 2001. In an unprecedented move, the editor of Nature  later disavowed the Berkeley scientists' peer-reviewed report in his own  journal.  Traveling transgenes are a global problem, not one confined to maize in  Mexico. Among others, GM contamination of traditional varieties of cotton in  Greece,(3) canola (rapeseed) in Canada,(4) soy in Italy,(5) papaya in Hawaii  have been reported.(6)  International Action Needed: In February 2002 La Via Campesina (the  international organization of small farmers) and several hundred other civil  society organizations worldwide joined forces to call upon the UN Food and  Agriculture Organization (FAO) and CGIAR (Consultative Group on  International Agricultural Research) to address the issue. Although FAO has  expressed concern, it has only been in touch with CIMMYT (International  Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre), the CGIAR institute in Mexico, which  has global responsibility for maize breeding and for the world's most  important maize gene bank. CGIAR has refused to take decisive action until  they are convinced there is solid scientific proof of contamination.  However, CIMMYT did decide to halt its maize collection program in the  region for fear that it could inadvertently introduce GM traits into its  gene bank, and began to test for the presence of transgenes in its seed  collection.  At yesterday's press conference in Mexico City, indigenous people and small  farmers described CIMMYT's failure to acknowledge and take action on the  contamination of traditional maize as "deplorable," and urged that  responsibility for the CIMMYT gene bank as well as other banks in the CGIAR  network be surrendered to an intergovernmental body such as FAO, under conditions that will make it more responsive to the concerns of small  farmers and indigenous people. The group also condemned the Convention on  Biological Diversity for its failure to effectively address GM contamination  in centers of genetic diversity.  Next Steps:  The long-term impacts of GM contamination on crop genetic diversity are not  known. Neither governments nor international institutions have taken action  to stop GM contamination and to protect farmers and indigenous peoples'  livelihoods. In February 2002 hundreds of civil society organizations called  for a moratorium on the shipment of GM seed or grain in countries or regions  that form part of the center of genetic diversity for the species. The  communities and CSOs meeting yesterday in Mexico City repeated demands for a  global moratorium.  ETC Group believes that a number of issues urgently require further study.  Most obviously, studies are needed to determine the impact of GM  contamination on traditional maize varieties in Mexico, not only looking at  the traits that are currently contaminating the crop but also consider  future introductions that might include traits for industrial or  pharmaceutical compounds. Most importantly, we need to understand not only  how to prevent further contamination but whether or not it is possible to  de-contaminate without further harming diversity. Peasant farmers throughout  the world, those who hold intimate knowledge of local farming systems and  crop diversity, are the only ones capable of undertaking the task, but must  have the support of the international community in this process. Globally,  there is a pressing need to study more broadly the impacts of gene flow,  which are already affecting other crops and regions. 

Most urgently, FAO and  CGIAR need a specific strategy and procedure to ensure that gene bank ac  Silvia Ribeiro,ETC Group (Mexico) siliva@etcgroup.org+52 55 55 632 664 

 Hope Shand or Kathy Jo Wetter, ETC Group (USA) hope@etcgroup.org+919 960-5223 

 Jim Thomas, ETC Group (UK) jim@etcgroup.org -- +44 (0)18652 07818 

 Pat Mooney, ETC Group (Canada) etc@etcgroup.org -- +204 453-5259 

       The Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration, formerly RAFI, is an international civil society organization headquartered in Canada. The ETC  group is dedicated to the advancement of cultural and ecological diversity  and human rights.  www.etcgroup.org. The ETC group is also a member of the experimental initiative involving civil society  organizations and public research institutions in 14 countries.  The CBDC is dedicated to the exploration of community-directed programmes to strengthen  the conservation and enhancement of agricultural biodiversity.  The CBDC  website is www.cbdcprogram.org . 

Endnotes:  (1) The document released yesterday is a collective effort prepared by  indigenous communities and peasant farmers from Oaxaca, Puebla, Chihuahua,  Veracruz and CECCAM - Centro de Estudios para el Cambio en el Campo  Mexicano, CENAMI - Centro Nacional de Apoyo a Misiones Indmgenas, Grupo  ETC - Grupo de Accisn sobre Erosisn, Tecnologma y Concentracisn, CASIFOP - Centro de Analisis Social, Informacisn y Formacisn Popular, AJAGI -  Asociacisn Jaliscience de Apoyo a Grupos Indmgenas, UNOSJO - Unisn de  Organizaciones de la Sierra Juarez de Oaxaca.

 (2) Lourdes Rudino, "Aprueban experimentos con maiz transgenico - Tiene SAGARPA 'laboratorio natural' en Oaxaca," El Financiero, October 3, 2003.

 (3) Dina Kyriakidou, "Greece to further test, destroy any GM cotton crops,"