GM Watch
  • Main Menu
    • Home
    • News
      • Newsletter subscription
      • Daily Digest
      • News Reviews
      • News Languages
    • Articles
      • GM Myth Makers
      • GM Reports
      • GM Quotes
      • GM Myths
      • Non-GM successes
      • GM Firms
        • Monsanto: a history
        • Monsanto: resources
        • Bayer: a history
        • Bayer: resources
    • Videos
      • Latest Videos
      • Must see videos
      • Cornell videos
      • Agriculture videos
      • Labeling videos
      • Animals videos
      • Corporations videos
      • Corporate takeover videos
      • Contamination videos
      • Latin America videos
      • India videos
      • Asia videos
      • Food safety videos
      • Songs videos
      • Protests videos
      • Biofuel myths videos
      • Index of GM crops and foods
      • Index of speakers
      • Health Effects
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donations
    • How donations will help us
News and comment on genetically modified foods and their associated pesticides    
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Newsletter subscription
    • News Reviews
    • News Languages
      • Notícias em Português
      • Nieuws in het Nederlands
      • Nachrichten in Deutsch
    • Archive
      • 2021 articles
      • 2020 articles
      • 2019 articles
      • 2018 articles
      • 2017 articles
      • 2016 articles
      • 2015 articles
      • 2014 articles
      • 2013 articles
      • 2012 articles
      • 2011 articles
      • 2010 articles
      • 2009 articles
      • 2008 articles
      • 2007 articles
      • 2006 articles
      • 2005 articles
      • 2004 articles
      • 2003 articles
      • 2002 articles
      • 2001 articles
      • 2000 articles
  • Articles
    • GM Myth Makers
    • GM Reports
    • How donations will help us
    • GM Quotes
    • GM Myths
    • Non-GM successes
    • GM Firms
      • Monsanto: a history
      • Monsanto: resources
      • Bayer: a history
      • Bayer: resources
  • Videos
    • Index of speakers
    • Glyphosate Videos
    • Latest Videos
    • Must see videos
    • Health Effects
    • Cornell videos
    • Agriculture videos
    • Labeling videos
    • Animals videos
    • Corporations videos
    • Corporate takeover videos
    • Contamination videos
    • Latin America videos
    • India videos
    • Asia videos
    • Food safety videos
    • Songs videos
    • Protests videos
    • Biofuel myths videos
    • Index of GM crops and foods
  • Contact
  • About
  • Donations
SUBSCRIBE TO REVIEWS

GMWatch Facebook cornfield banner

SCIENCE SUPPORTS REGULATION OF GENE EDITING

Plant tissue cultures

GENE EDITING: UNEXPECTED OUTCOMES AND RISKS

Damaged DNA on fire

GENE-EDITED CROPS & FOODS

Help stop the new threat

News Menu

  • Latest News
  • News Reviews
  • Archive
  • Languages

Please support GMWatch

Donations

You can donate via Paypal or credit/debit card.

Some of you have opted to give a regular donation. This is greatly appreciated as it helps place us on a more stable financial basis. Thank you for your support!

2012 articles

Long march against Monsanto in Costa Rica

  • Print
  • Email
Details
Published: 07 July 2013
Created: 06 December 2012
Last Updated: 06 December 2012
Twitter

NOTE: The "March in Defense of our Corn" involving over 30 Costa Rican organizations began in Matambu, home of the Chorotega corn, in Guanacaste on November 26. The marchers are warning Costa Rican communities about Monsanto's intention to plant GM corn in the Central American state.

According to an earlier report, "the School of Biology in the University of Costa Rica recommends the National Biosecurity Technical Commission to declare a moratorium on the introduction of genetically modified varieties of corn in Costa Rica, until more ecological and socioeconomic studies can guarantee the future integrity of the existing cultivated and natural biodiversity in the country should GMOs be introduced.

Meanwhile, the Cultural Heritage Conservation Center, part of the Ministry of Culture, is working on declaring the local creole corn part of Costa Rica's national cultural heritage, after receiving requests from several institutions and organizations."
 http://insidecostarica.com/2012/11/26/long-march-against-monsanto-and-gmos-began-yesterday/
---
---
March against Monsanto GMOs reaches San Jose, decision stalled
InsideCostaRica, December 5 2012
 http://insidecostarica.com/2012/12/05/march-against-monsanto-gmos-reaches-san-jose-decision-stalled/

After a one week, 200-kilometer journey which began in Gauancaste, marchers fighting against a plan that would introduce genetically modified Monsanto corn into Costa Rica reached their destination on Monday, when they arrived at the Ministry of Agriculture in San Jose [the seat of the Costa Rican government], their numbers growing as they made their way through Central Valley towns such as Grecia, San Ramon and Palmares.

According to Fabian Pacheco, a representative of the "Bloque Verde" (Green Block), the long march was able to drive awareness of the situation amongst the population, so that the decision would not remain in the hands of a few people. Pacheco insists that should authorities permit the genetically modified corn, it would damage the cultural heritage of native seeds, and may also expose the public to health risks such as cancer, according to some studies.

The decision to allow the genetically modified plantations is now in the hands of the National Bio-security Technical Commission, part of the Phytosanitary Department in the Agriculture and Livestock Ministry (MAG, in Spanish). Representatives of the commission debated "technical criteria" on Monday as part of the process to reach a final decision. 

The protestors and environmentalists have said that allowing Monsanto to plant its genetically modified corn in Costa Rica would be a move aimed at serving multinational companies.  The Minister of Agriculture, however, said "This is not a politically coordinated commission, nor are we making political decisions, this is an organization that functions with complete scientific rigor in order to issues its resolutions."

Meanwhile, the Ombudsman's Office sent a request to the National Biodiversity Technical Commission to delay a resolution until the effects of the genetically modified crops could be studied further.

The National Commission on Biosecurity met on Monday with the purpose of making a final decision in the matter.  The decision was delayed, however, as two of the institutions that compose the commission requested additional technical information, stating they felt the information they had was “lacking.”  Two members of the commission have already voted against the genetically modified plantations – The Biodiversity Coordination Network and the Federation for Environmental Conservation.

As a result, Alex May, president of the National Biodiversity Commission, said it is now unknown when a decision to allow the planting of Monsanto's genetically modified crop may be made.

  • Prev
  • Next

Menu

Home

News

News Archive

News Reviews

Videos

Articles

GM Myth Makers

GM Reports

GM Myths

GM Quotes

How Donations Will Help Us

Contacts

Contact Us

About

Facebook

Twitter

RSS

Content 1999 - 2021 GMWatch.
Web Development By SCS Web Design