There is an imminent and totally irregular attempt to pass into law a Mexican "Biosafety" bill coming up on Tuesday. It offers a green light and blank check to the GM industry.

The bill was originally passed almost two years ago by Mexico's Senate (which is dominated by PAN, the party in power, and which has strong biotech links), and it is only the resistance in the House of Representatives that has been delaying the bill from passing.

However, they have managed to get the bill onto the floor to be voted on this coming Tuesday, reportedly through industry influence.

The sign on letter below says it all, "We call on Mexican legislators not to let the large commercial interests pressurise them but to legislate in favor of the people."
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NO TO LEGALIZATION OF GMOS IN MEXICO

Please sign on to this statement against biosafety legislation in Mexico that actually does not even protect traditional corn varieties!!

This declaration emanated from the 1st Latin American meeting on concentration and monopoly power in the agribussiness and food industry, that met in Sao Paulo, Brazil last week.

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NO TO LEGALIZATION OF GMOS IN MEXICO
Sao Paulo, Brasil 1rst December, 2004.

The organizations below, participating in the First Latin-American Meeting on concentration and monopolization of food and agriculture chains met in Sao Paulo, Brazil, are aware that the Mexican Congress is going to approve by fast track way a law of biosafety with serious failures.

It seems to us unacceptable that said approval happen without the opinion of the peasants, indigenous and Mexican consumers that have been expressing thei oposition against GMO. This legislation does not contemplate the monitoring of GMO; it does not take into account the responsibility of the big corporations and agroibusiness. The legislation proposed neither contemplate the protection of the rights of the producers of organic and conventional crops that do not desire the genetically modified contamination, nor the labeling that would guarantee the rights to know.

This law does not even protect the corn, although Mexico is center of origin and diversity of this grain and represents the main component of food sovereignty of mexican people.

It through this type of unacceptable legislations that the food and agriculture transnational corporations; are monopolizing the food production and destroying the rural life and native as well as the rich biodiversity of our countries with the complicity of the governments.

We call on Mexican legislators not to let the large commercial interests pressurise them but to legislate in favor of the people.

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