December 5, 2005

Illegal GM corn sold in Brazil

State Deputy Frei Sergio Antônio Görgen of Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state claimed that a local company in Barão de Cotegipe was selling GM corn smuggled from Argentina. Görgen had reportedly got the news from an anonymous tip-off recently.

According to Görgen, researchers found GA21 GM corn produced by Monsanto in a sample bought from the company. Tests showed 27.5 percent of the seeds were genetically modified.

Görgen said the risk of GM contamination among local varieties of corn was greater than that of soybeans, as insects, birds and the wind could carry the pollen up to nine kilometres away.

Although Brazil recently legalised commercialisation of GM crops in the country, companies must still obtain permission to sell such crops from CTNBio, the national bio-security commission.

CTNBio said growing GM corn has not been approved in Brazil as the corn had greater potential to contaminate native species.

Rubem Nodari, manager of genetic resources in the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, has also expressed concern over this "very serious problem". He said there was "no suitable" cross-border monitoring to ensure bio-security in Brazil, adding that plagues and agricultural diseases might threaten the country as a result.