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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